Chrysalis
by SYuuri
Summary: There's no such thing as coincidence, it's just meant to happen. TommyKim. Plz read and rev. :EPILOGUE ADDED:
1. 1

**Chrysalis**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Power Rangers. **

**:: This story is totally AU. I don't know why but I really like writing AU stories :D This won't be long. Just like Angel and Heroes, it'll probably take about five or six chapters. School has started but I'll try to update this and TSTM&TS soon. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Part one.**

The twenty five year old Kimberly Hart lifted up her face and shut her eyes close. For a moment she just let the balmy afternoon breeze cool her face. Work had been pretty tough, but she enjoyed this kind of feeling more than anything else. Two years were not a short period of time and even after all this time, she's still trying to adjust with the surroundings.

"What are you doing?" Nate asked with a chuckle. "I thought you were going home? I guess you're not as tired as you claimed. So… how about that dinner? Interested?"

Her friend's deep voice cut her trail of thoughts and her eyes snapped open. Standing next to her car in the parking lot, Kimberly turned around to face the grinning and confident Nathan J. Mackenzie. She sighed and threw her bag on the backseat before addressing him. "Yes, I'm tired and was about going to go home before you came,"

"Really?"

Kim smiled and walked into his welcoming embrace for a friendly hug. "Yes," She pulled away and got inside her car. "I'll see you on Monday,"

"You could see me tonight and tomorrow morning if you wanted," He teased, cocking his eyebrows playfully.

She laughed. "Tempting, but no thanks,"

After another smile and goodbye, Kim started the engine and drove away. Nate was handsome enough to make any woman drop to their knees and his great sense of humor was kind of cute, but it's better for them to remain as friends and nothing more. Nate was a great friend and she wouldn't want that to ever change. Of course, when they first met six months ago, she had thought that he had all the qualities to be a potential boyfriend and he really did. However, after the first kiss that happened unexpectedly between them, she knew that her initial impression wasn't correct. They were better off as friends and things could get pretty annoying when the other person insisted that she was wrong.

Kim turned on the radio and tuned in her favorite station, sighing happily when one of her all time favorite songs was being played. Tomorrow was finally Saturday and at last she could get the much needed sleep that she desperately wanted. Working in a busy magazine company was tiring, yet a fun thing to do. She was doing what she loved to do and got paid for it.

Gymnastics had been her life since she was four. She had competed in numerous competitions, even the world class games like the Pan Globals. But as much as she loved gymnastics, she didn't want to let it consume _all_ her life. After high school, there had been a delay for a couple of years before she decided to get her degree in Arts and applied for a job as soon as she graduated. Her life now was pretty ordinary that sometimes it felt more than a little boring.

Slowing down a little, Kim took a left turn. The apartment she had been living in was only twenty minutes driving from her work place; something that she was still grateful for. Suddenly she saw something white flashing in front of her car and she automatically stepped on the brake, stopping the car with a jolt. "Oh shit," She gasped, feeling a thud. She had hit something… no, worse, someone.

Kim quickly unbuckled herself and jumped out of the car. She closed her eyes in dismay when she found a man sitting on the ground about half a meter from her car. He was clearly hissing in pain, his hand rubbing a same spot on his head, but he was still alive. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," He replied hoarsely with a grunt.

Kim eyed the man carefully and forced herself to kneel down and check on him. He had on a white short sleeved shirt so she could see the scratches and blood smudges marked his arms. There's another scratch on the head from hitting the pavement, but it seemed like there's no fatal damage done. Breathing a bit slower, she released his arm and said, "I'm really sorry, but I didn't see you crossing the street," That was close. She almost killed a guy and the thought made her palms slightly wet, her heart racing wildly inside her chest.

"It's okay. It's my fault for not paying attention," He replied shortly, looking down at her for a few seconds before turning his face away. "It could have been worse. At least you didn't send me flying to the air and kill me,"

"Do you need to go to the hospital? Your head… you could have concussion or something like that," Kim suggested, still feeling badly for what had happened. His effort to lighten up the mood only worked a little. She mentally kicked herself for being so careless and distracted. "I'm so so sorry,"

He winced when he tried to move his right arm. "It's okay,"

"I live up there," Kim said, her hand making a gesture towards her building. "If you don't mind, maybe I could help you with that cuts," She was hesitant to invite a stranger into her apartment, but it's not like she could just shoo him away. She did cause him to be in this condition. He looked harmless anyway.

"Sure, that would be cool," In spite of the pain, he grinned at her. "I'm Tommy by the way. Tommy Oliver,"

"Kimberly," She shook his extended hand, careful not to graps it too tight. "Come on, but wait… how about your car? Is it okay to leave it here?"

Tommy shook his head. "I visited a friend who lived in the neighbourhood and he borrowed my car for the evening. I decided to take a bus home and well, I met you here,"

"Sorry," Kim muttered and took a good, long, look at the tall guy in front of her. He reminded her of someone familiar. "Have we met before? Because I think I've seen you somewhere,"

"You know what, that line was pretty out-to-date," He replied with a sly smile and Kim's expression changed in a fraction of second. For a moment she was tempted to just leave him there, seeing he was feeling strong enough to crack a joke like that.

"I didn't mean it like that," Kim returned with a deep frown and abruptly dropped his hand. She soon regretted her sudden movement when he groaned. "I just thought… nevermind. If you're alright, maybe I should just drop you at your pla-," Kim stopped mid-sentence when she saw him wincing once again. Biting her lower lips, Kim sighed, feeling the guilt returning. "Get in,"

--

The short drive to the basement parking lot and her apartment on the 11th floor was spent mostly in silent. She was tired and wasn't really in the mood for making any conversations. Tommy seemed to be fine and she once again wondered if bringing him to her place was the right thing to do.

"You okay?" She asked in concern. Tommy was favoring his right ankle. Acting on impulse, she slid her hand around his arm to prevent him from losing his balance.

"Do you realize that was the third time you asked me that question?" He had the nerve to say. This man was nearly as bad as Nate! Watching her somber expression, the smile slowly faded from his face. "Sorry, but I'm fine. As a martial artist I kinda used to this kind of injury,"

"You're a martial artist?" Kim inquired when the elevator stopped and the door glided open with a chime. That was an understatement though. She could feel the tight muscles underneath her hands.

"I am. In fact I moved to California because my bestfriend offered to open a karate academy together,"

The former gymnast released his arm and fished out a key from her bag. As she was unlocking the door, Tommy leaned against the wall to support his body. He was standing so close to her that she could feel the warmth radiated from him. Oh well, she _should've_ just took him home or to the hospital!

"That's cool," She answered, her voice lacking of real interest because one, she was feeling extremely tired, and two, she was not in her best mood this evening. "Umm…," Great. She wasn't expecting company nor was she a very tidy person. Thank God she didn't leave her bra hanging on the doorknob like she did yesterday. "Come inside,"

"You live alone?" He asked after Kim helped him to sit in the recliner so that he could stretch out his legs. Meanwhile she had wandered to the bathroom to retrive the first aid kit.

A "Yes" came from her mouth although for a short second she wanted to say that she lived with her husband and their twins. Alas, she didn't think she would convince him that she was somebody's wife, let alone a mother of two.

"You have a nice place," Tommy commented once she returned and sat on the coffee table. "Fortunately mine is completely furnished, or I'll be sleeping on the floor tonight," He let Kimberly roll his faded blue jeans to work on his knee. "I haven't unpacked and boxes are scattered all over my apartment,"

"When'd you move here?" She asked while carefully applying some alcohol to the bleeded wound. If Nate found out that she was talking with a random stranger that her car nearly hit at this time of hour instead of sleeping like she promised him she would, he would totally flip.

"Two days ago. I was from Texas,"

"Ah, my Dad lives there," She informed and started bandaging his leg. "My parents divorced when I was fifteen and since then my father moved to Texas while my Mom got married to a French guy,"

It was when Tommy murmured his respond did Kim realize what she just said. Did she just tell him she was coming from a broken home family?

"I was adopted," Tommy said before she could get even more uncomfortable. He seemed to think it was normal for two people who just met less than half an hour to exchange stories about their family background. "I never knew my biology parents; they died in a car crash when I was very little. A baby,"

"I'm sorry," Kim mumbled, feeling her face flush pink.

"It's alright," Tommy tilted his head backwards, giving her full access to clean up the sctraches on his forehead. "I'm very close with my adopted parents and I'm proud to be their son,"

Kim nodded, not saying anything partly because she didn't know what to say.

"Nice job," Tommy said, looking at his leg. "Thanks,"

"I was a girl scout. This is the only thing that I was good at beside selling cookies,"

He looked like a nice guy… _and handsome too_, another voice said. Without moving his head, Tommy observed the small yet cozy living room. She took the time to _really_ look at him because the strange, deja vu feeling washed through her all over again. This time though, Tommy caught her staring at him.

"What? You're not going to say if we've met before again, are you?" He teased lightly and this time there wasn't a moment of hesitancy for her to land a smack on his arm. "Hey!"

Kim rose to her feet and wiped her hands on her jeans. "I'll go grab my jacket and after that I'll drive you home,"

"I was only joking," He shouted as Kim vanished into her room. "Do you have aspirins?"

Upon hearing his request, Kim rolled her eyes. Was he only joking _again_ or being serious? Groaning, Kim walked to the cabinet and took some aspirins for him. She gazed at her bed longingly when she walked passed the bedroom. "Tommy, you can-," The words died in her mouth when she found him sleeping in her living room. Was it for real? She's gone for like five minutes!

"Tommy, wake up," Kim demanded and put her hands on her hips. He didn't even budge. "Tommy, come on, I'm not in the mood for this,"

Still no answers.

"Oh seriously, could this day get any worse than this?"

--

Kim rolled to her side when the alarm clock went off, waking her from her uneased sleep. She felt the nightstand for the damn clock and with a jab of her hand, the room was quiet once again. This was Saturday and she's supposed to sleep until noon, but with a certain man 'paying rent' in her living room, she couldn't do that, could she?

After several useless attempts to wake him up, Kim gave up and dropped an old blanket over his body before retiring to her room. Of course, she locked the door, just in case he was only playing dead and decided to do something funny.

Feeling cautious, she woke up about three times last night just to make sure he's still there doing what he's supposed to do: sleeping. Now thanks to Mr. Oliver, she was feeling more tired than she had been yesterday.

Rubbing her eyes, Kim slowly sat up and leaned her head back against the headboard. 7.02 am. What the hell Kimberly Hart was doing at 7.02 am on Saturday?

She slid off the bed and put on her robe over the pink camisole and pajamas shorts. Her hair was still in a messy bun but she didn't give it a second thought. Kim opened the door and walked straight to the living room.

It was empty.

Raising her eyebrows, she saw the neatly folded blanket on the table. Kim's eyes scanned the room, making sure that nothing was missing. _You're being paranoia, Hart._

A paper on top of the blanket caught her eyes and she sleepily took it.

_Hey, Kimberly. Thanks for letting me crash on your couch last night. Don't be afraid, I won't take anything with me, though I took the liberty to look around. You're a gymnast? That's sweet. Anyway, I gotta go so I'll let myself out. _

_P.S.: I took the aspirins on the table. I assumed it was for me?_

The brunette put the note back on the table and fell to the recliner, too lazy to go back to her room. She closed the curtain and grabbed the blanket from the table. Ignoring that the dark burgundy cloth was smelled faintly of Tommy's cologne, she snuggled closer and fell asleep almost immediately.

Last night was pretty strange, but it's not like she would see him again.

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**:: That's the end of first chapter. Hope you like it. Please review, no flame though. Thanks.**

**- Yuuri**


	2. 2

**Chrysalis**

**Disclaimer:**** Power Rangers isn't mine. **

**:: Thanks for everyone who had reviewed the first chapter, I'm glad you like this. I got a three day off so I can write the second part. Hope you like it. **

**Part two.**

_**07.20 am**_

The morning's sun's rays hit her face and Kim moaned, trying to roll to her side only to be pulled back by a pair of strong arms. Her head felt so heavy; like someone had used it as a bowling ball. She forced to open her eyes and so her eyelids slowly fluttered open. A warm breath hit her cheek and she tried to regain her focus.

Moving one hand from its place on top of _Tommy_'s arm, she rubbed her temple in circular motions. This had got to be one of her worst hangovers ever. How many tequillas did she have last night? She had far too many shots for a woman her size. She should've listened to her sister-in-law's advice once upon a time. But well, it felt kind of nice to get drunk with someone…

As the sun started to rise even higher, the realization finally hit her.

_Shit_.

She carefully untangled herself from Tommy's grasp. Not a very easy task when the only thing she wanted to do was run to the toilet and emptied her stomach. Fighting off another wave of nausea, she slowly rose to her height, taking a few seconds to steady her wobbly legs.

"Geez, my head…," Kim groaned, bracing against the wall to support her body from falling. Without giving the man on the bed another glance, she walked to collect the rest of her clothes and headed to the bathroom.

--

"Isn't it a beautiful wedding?"

Kim nearly jumped when Nate sneaked out behind her and whispered right over her ear. She waited until he walked around and sat at his abandoned chair before glaring at him. "I thought I had told you that I hated you when you did that? Why'd you never listen to me?"

Nate looked handsome as always. Maybe one day when she was fifty years old, sitting all alone in front of the fireplace with five cats cuddling around her legs and he was still single, she would consider marrying him. Being with Nate was never boring.

"Did I offend you?" He asked again, nodding towards the smiling bride and groom. Brandon Lancer was one of their friends from work and after a short months of dating, he finally got the guts to ask his girlfriend to marry him.

"Why don't you get me another orange juice?" Kim said sweetly. The food was marvelous; she would have to spend five hours at the gym this weekend to burn all the calories. "I need to go to the ladies room,"

"You didn't answer my question," Nate prompted with a polite smile.

"Later,"

Kim grabbed her purse and made her way outside the grand ballroom. There were a few women that had been eyeing her friend since they arrived an hour and a half ago, he wouldn't miss her. Was he right? That the wedding only served to bring back bad memories?

The unstuffy atmosphere at the elegant and stylish bar was something that she needed right now. It wasn't Friday nor Saturday, so the place wasn't really crowded.

"One Tequilla please," Kim told the bartender and rested her chin on the top of her clasped hands. Her father called earlier this afternoon, informing that she would get a stepsister to spoil in less than seven months. That was great news. She always loved kids and Michelle was a great woman. She regretted that her parents' marriage didn't work out, but she still respected the woman that her father had married three years prior.

"Give me what she has,"

Kim turned her head, seeing that the vacant chair next to her was no longer unoccupied. The fact that the person sitting beside her wasn't unfamiliar to her doubled the surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I take it you didn't realize that I was in the same reception with you then," Tommy replied, his knuckles tapping at the dark wooden table. "I have been watching you for the last twenty five minutes,"

"You've been stalking me," Kim concluded, laughing just for the heck of it. Within seconds, her face grew serious and she asked him again, "You followed me here?" She thanked the lack of lights in the bar because her boldness sent a deep crimson to her face. Tommy was laughing out loud at her words, tempting her to bat him with her heels.

"Actually," Tommy began when the laugh finally subsided. "Karen is my friend. What would I be if I didn't show up at her wedding? She wouldn't live it down,"

At the mention of the bride's name, a grim expression clouded her feature. She didn't wait to empty her glass. "She's a nice girl,"

"Well, she is," He agreed, not noticing the sudden change of mood. "We went to the same high school. She told me that she had a boyfriend named Brandon, but I was pretty busy with my job that we lost contact for a while. Then I found an email from her, saying she would get married with a guy she just knew for four months. Pretty crazy, I'd say,"

Kim gave him a look. "Just for your information, I am the one who introduced Brandon to her,"

"You know Karen?"

"Not really. We met in a forum board," She answered, unwilling to provide him more information.

"Ah," Tommy drank his shot and waved his hand to order more. "Another Prison Break fan. Don't look at me like that, okay. I spoke to Karen on Messenger often enough to see that hairless con as her display picture,"

"I'm a healthy, young woman who deserves to get a break from life," Kim said with a smug smile. "I enjoyed watching a hot guy with tattooes all over his body just as much as you enjoyed seeing Carmen Electra in her red swimming suit,"

Tommy leaned over and said in a low tone. "Just between us? I can't swim,"

"I didn't ask," She said cheekily, secretly feeling grateful to find a friend to distract her mind. Seeing Brandon with a girl, who as she had told Tommy, _she_ introduced, hurt. Brandon wasn't gifted a handsome face like Nathan, but he surely took her breath away when they first met. He was a regular normal guy with a charming smile that she slowly developed feelings towards him. Before anything progressed, he admitted to her with that shy smile of his that he had fallen for the blonde Texan. Life sucked.

It's funny that Nate didn't feel jealous at all, knowing that she used to have secret feelings for Brandon. He didn't have to though, it didn't really matter anyway. She _was_ over Brandon, really. It was only a crush, but still.

Two more shots and Kim began to feel a bit lightheaded. The urge to stop was there, but it wasn't enough to stop her from ordering another tequilla. Beside her, Tommy was enjoying his second Sex on The Beach.

"How's life? Can you believe it has been two months since you nearly took my precious life?" He asked, running his fingers through the short, spiked dark hair.

"How about that karate school you told me?" Kim asked, fanning her face with her hand. The air conditioner worked just fine, but she felt a bit warm. She turned slightly to face him and crossed her legs, allowing the peach cocktail dress to ride up her tighs. "Or your bestfriend ran away with your car to Canada, leaving you dry?"

"Jason would never do that," Tommy grinned. "He's like my brother. We've been friends for a very long time,"

Slowly sipping her drink, she wasn't aware of the first streak of tears running down her cheek. She continued smiling at him. Kimberly was getting drunk without even realizing it. The mood called for it and she finally gave in. "That's awesome,"

"You don't have to cry," He chided softly and Kim touched her cheek. "Are you alright?"

Before she knew what she was doing, she gripped his shoulders tightly and shook him. "How can I be alright? I just witnessed the man who I thought would be _my_ future husband marrying a woman who _I _introduced. I was blind then and he came into my line of vision. Now everything's gone. How sad is that? I deserve to be in Oprah,"

She wouldn't even tell Nate about it, so what made Tommy so 'special'?

"Don't listen to me. I'm exaggerating," Kim said again before sitting back and downed her glass. She hiccuped. "I need to get out of here,"

Tommy held her arm fast, his dark chocolate eyes boring at her softer ones. "I'll take you to your friend. I saw you sitting with that Brad Pitt look a like,"

Even in this situation he's still trying to make a joke. That was an effort which she deeply appreciated. "I always thought he looked like Tom Cruise,"

"Come on. Can you stand?" Tommy wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Or do you need me to carry you?"

"Very funny,"

She saw him throw some cash to the table before dragging her from the bar. It was pretty difficult to walk when the world was spinning in front of her eyes, but somehow they managed to get back to the reception hall. Somewhere between Mariah Carey's voice and Tommy's continuous soothing words, she heard his cellphone ringing and he stopped to take the call.

"I feel funny," Kim murmured. "I think I want to throw up,"

"I don't see your friend," Tommy's eyes swept over the crowd, looking for a certain man in a dark navy suit. His voice rose to a highter pitch when Kim leaned against him and covered her mouth with her small hands. "Don't do it here!"

"Tommy…,"

Without a second thought, he brought his arm under her knees and lifted her effortlessly to his arms. He had wanted to throw her off his shoulder, but later thought better of it. The position would not suit Kimberly who was on the brink of losing it. Ignoring several funny glances directed to them, he sped off to the elevator and pushed the button with his elbow. A person might think they're new honeymooners… If they only knew. "Just wait for a minute," He insisted. "Don't you dare throw up on me, Kimberly…," He stepped inside the, thank God, empty elevator and with more difficulties, pressed the tenth floor button.

The journey to his floor was longer than he had expected, and when the door finally opened, he raced to the room at the corner of the corridor. Tommy set Kim down and slipped the card key in.

"It has been two minutes already, Tommy," She pointed out and hiccuped once more.

"Then I guess your watch is a minute too fast," He swept her off her feet and took her to the bathroom. Just in time because Kim didn't wait for another second to throw up once her hands touched the bathroom floor. "Easy does it," Tommy lifted up her hair and massaged the back of her neck.

"You had more drinks than me," Kim gasped before vomitting again. "Why you're still standing while I'm making out with this thing,"

"I have more practise," Was his simple reply. Tommy knelt behind her as she continued to finish the unfinished business. After a long while, she flushed the toilet and staggered to her feet. He handed her a glass of water. "Feel better?"

Kim stared at the bathroom mirror and took a great look of herself. She's a wreck. "Let me brush my teeth,"

"I think you're the first person that I know who's still thinking about brushing your teeth when you're drunk," Tommy chuckled and leaned against the doorway, his eyes looking at her through the mirror.

"Whose room is this?" Kim queried as she made her way to the king size bed. Her purse was thrown to the nightstand and the bed bounced when her lithe body fell to the soft matress. "It's bigger than my apartment's room. It's so not fair,"

Tommy shrugged off the jacket from his body and put it on the sofa. "This room is supposed to be for my brother. He called at the last minute. David couldn't make it. The reservation had been made so Karen gave the room to me,"

"And why are you here?" Kim asked childlike.

Tommy brushed a strand of hair off her face, holding back a smile. "Because this is my room and because I care,"

The brunette closed her eyes and released a small yawn, her hands clutching at the sheets. "I hate her. She nearly poisoned me three months ago,"

"What happened?"

"I'm allergic to shrimp. She knew that," Her legs swayed back and forth and she kicked her shoes off until they hit the wall. "And that bitch ordered that damn shrimp scampi or whatever. She told me it was chicken… or maybe I was the one stupid because we're eating at a seafood restaurant. Chicken! At least I wasn't so dumb that I couldn't tell whether tuna was fish or chicken,"

"She couldn't be doing that on purpose," Tommy spoke and moved to sit on the bed. He loosened his tie, his fingers working to unbutton his shirt, leaving him in his black tank.

"Then my face began to turn pink. Very, very pink," Kim mumbled in bitterness. "I love pink, I think it's pretty color, but not then…,"

"Kimberly, you're babbling," stated Tommy softly.

"I didn't plan to wear this dress tonight," She stood up and modeled the knee length dress for him. "I have another black dress that is so gorgeous. Unfortunately, I gained more weights recently," She wrinkled her nose and she wrapped her hands around her waist. "So I'm stuck in this one. Nate said I looked pale in this color. What do you think?"

"You look beautiful," He answered in all honestly, swallowing his smile.

"Thank you," Kim smiled and curtsied.

"See this?" She lifted up and wiggled her right hand, moving the gold bracelet around her slender wrist. "My father gave it to me for my twenty three birthday's present,"

"That's beautiful," Tommy replied, unsure of what to say because the woman in his bed was being unpredictable right now.

"I hate it,"

"Oh well…,"

All of a sudden, her eyes snapped open and she swirled around to face him. "I hate math or everything that has numbers in it. I didn't even mind that Brandon was the head accountant in our company. I always got C- back in high school that I had a tutor named Liam. He's the smartest person in my class and he lived in my neighbourhood. We went camping one day. Millions of stars sparkled like diamonds… it was a very beautiful night,"

"Okay, that's it," Tommy got up and walked to stand in front of her. "Now why don't we make a deal. You can sleep here tonight and I'll go back to my place. Or if you want me to take you back, it's fine with me,"

A faint smiled touched her lips and she raised her head slowly. "Why are you being so nice to me? I nearly killed you," Kim stood on her tip toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're so bad, leaving me just like that. Do you realize that you look cute when you're sleeping? I swear to God, you're sucking at your thumb just like my nephew, Tommy. Oh! You guys have a same name. How cute,"

"I'm serious, Kim, I-," Tommy stopped mid-sentence when Kim suddenly lunged forward and pressed her lips against his. The sudden movement nearly toppled him backwards. "I'm not Brandon,"

Kim, on the other hand, would hear nothing of it and continued to kiss him like there's no tomorrow. She pulled her lips from his long enough for her to declare in a husky tone. "I know who you are. Tommy, Tommy Oliver. Jason's bestfriend who will open a karate school in a near future. I nearly hit you with my car that night but faith spoke differently. I have missed you so bad. Did you know that?" She yanked his collar and pushed him until he landed on the bed. She didn't waste another minute to crawl over him and straddle his waist. "And now you're going to leave me again? I won't let you,"

"Kim, you're-," His mouth was occupied again when she once again leaned down and kissed him deeply. In spite of her state of being drunk, her kiss was gentle and as when her hands trailed down his arms and across his chest, she opened his mouth to intertwine his tongue with hers.

Tommy finally found his fingertips danced over her bare back, his tense muscles immediately beginning to relax and his lips starting to return her soft kisses. "Kim," He held her face to broke the kiss and for a while he stared at her eyes. "Are you happy?"

Kim smirked and pushed a kiss on his forehead. "Very,"

--

_**09.12 am**_

Tommy let out a mighty groan and he pulled one hand from under the thick covers. Instead of touching the soft, warm body of Kimberly, his hand met the cold surface of the bed. Opening one eye, he found the spot next to him was empty.

Sighing, he sat up and looked at the clock. 9.13 am. Still disoriented, he wondered if last night was only a dream or not. The jasmine scent clinging to the sheets and his body told him that last night was indeed real.

"Oh, great,"

**:: Ohhh…what's going to happen when they meet again? You have to wait till the next chapter :) Thanks for reading, review please. No flame though. **

**- Yuuri**


	3. 3

**Chrysalis**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Power Rangers.**

**:: Thanks for the reviews, they make me happy ;) Now on to the story. **

* * *

**Part three.**

"Are you okay?" Lea asked and stopped typing, concerns coloring her clear blue eyes. She took off her glasses and put them on the table before handing Kim a bottle of water. The petite brunette had been feeling unwell for the past few days and she looked ever worse today. "Are you running a fever?" She made a face when Kim coughed and cleared her throat. It ought to be hurt.

"No," Kim breathed after gratefully receiving the water and swallowing half the bottle. "But I feel like shit, if you know what I mean,"

"I think you'd better go see a doctor," Lea suggested and crossed her arms. They had been sitting in front of the computer, talking and discussing the new layout for the latest edition of _Fusion!_ for nearly two hours now.

"I'm okay, it'll go away," Kim assured the redhead with a smile. She wondered if this was her karma for leaving Tommy just like that; like nothing had happened between them. That Thursday was horrible. By the time she reached her apartment, she was far too lost to remember about the hangover. She ordered McDonalds. There're various ways to deal with hangovers but for her, a double cheeseburger and french fries were always a good remedy. She had left a note on the nightstand for Tommy, but until today he hadn't contacted her yet. Either he missed it or just didn't want to see her again, she wasn't sure. Not that she blamed him though.

She couldn't believe that she… _slept_ with him. And only God knows what kind of craps she had said under the effect of alcohol. Kim scarcely remembered about the love making, but his kisses would forever be burnt in her mind.

"My friend is a great doctor and you'll be back normal before you know it," Lea said again and putting her glasses on. She opened the iTunes window and played another song by Maroon 5.

"I am normal, thank you," Kim answered through her pursed lips. "It's just a flu, don't make it a big deal. Now can we please go back to work? I don't want to spend another three hours in this place. I love my office, but I miss my bed more," She coughed a couple of times and drank up the whole bottle. Thanks to the flu, she was feeling extremely tired. It felt as if she was flying, her body was so light.

"Alright, but after I go to the vending machine and grab some chips. Do you want something?" Lea offered, her hands pushing her chair backwards.

"No thanks, I'm good,"

As soon as Lea left the room, Kim dropped her head on her arms and closed her eyes. She hated being sick. She had stocked tons of tissue papers in her room, just in case. The headache and nausea… Her body went rigid as a silly thought popped inside her head.

The encounter with Tommy in his hotel room was pretty unexpected and neither came prepared. She couldn't be… pregnant, could she?

_You're not carrying anybody's child, Kimberly. Don't be stupid. _Kim pushed herself up. Yeah, that was definitely a ridiculous idea. It must be the side effect of the medicine she took this morning that she's hallucinating now.

Stretching out her arms, Kimberly emitted a loud moan. After clicking off the song, she walked to the restroom which located right across Lea's office. She washed her hands and splashed her face with the warm water. It seemed like she would spend her evening finishing the layouts with Lea and she needed to freshen up a little.

Kim coughed and took a peppermint candy from her pocket. Her throat was sore and burning. She was shivering although the sun was shining hotly outside. She tightened her lavender cardigan around her body and opened the door.

"Hello, Kimberly,"

She nearly jumped when the all too familiar voice greeted her. Soon, the tall figure of Tommy Oliver came to view. Her already pale face turned sheet white and the bright smile gracing his face made her belly flutter. After almost a week of no contact, there he was. Was this another coincidence? Would they ever stop? "Hi,"

"Are you alright? You don't look so well," He asked with that warm tone that she had come to get used to. She never knew he wore glasses and she had to say it looked good on him. Donning in a plain black t-shirt, Tommy Oliver looked hot. As a martial artist he had those well defined muscles that seemed to go on without end. Too bad she was too drunk to notice when she finally got the chance to see his body unobstructed.

Kim swallowed hard. Did she just seriously think _that_? She shouldn't take that pills again tonight.

"Yeah," Her voice was hoarse when she spoke. From the corner of her eyes she could see Lea sitting in Nate's office, laughing over something he said. She had a big crush on him. Too bad Nate was too dense or just refused to see that. It's a shame; they would make a cute couple.

"Kim?"

"Sorry," Kim tore her eyes from her two allies and returned her attention back to Tommy. "Wait a minute. What the heck are you doing here? Don't tell me you're stalking me, _again_,"

Tommy shot her a lopsided grin that successfully made her heart leap. "I wasn't, but yes, I'm looking for you,"

"You could have called me,"

"How? I don't have your numbers," His broad shoulders rose in a shrug and Kim frowned. "What is it?"

"Then how'd you find me here? I think I never told you that I worked here,"

Looking sheepish all of a sudden, Tommy rubbed the back of his neck and replied, "Since I knew that Brandon was your friend and he's married to my friend, I called Karen and told her to ask Brandon about you. She gave me your cellphone number but I thought I'd better come here and see you myself,"

Kim chuckled at the difficulties that he had to go through. "You called Karen? Aren't they on their honeymoon?"

"That's right,"

Shaking her head, she laughed, which was not a smart move because her throat constricted and she coughed wildly. Her hand came up to cover her mouth. Spreading flu germs was the last thing that she wanted to do. Tommy rubbed her back gently and when he moved his hand up to the back of her neck, Kim's eyes widened.

"You feel a bit warm," He remarked, his thumb stroking the soft skin of her neck.

"I'm not,"

"You have to see a doctor," He wasn't asking her, he was stating. The demanding tone he was using made her cock her eyebrows and regard him with a look of suspicion. "I was talking with some of your friends and they said you've been sick for a while,"

Kim couldn't help the snort escaping her. "Talking with my friends? Seriously, Tommy, you're starting to scare me,"

"Hey!" He lifted his hands in surrender. "I met Jack and Breanna at the reception and we became friends. They're sitting right over there, just five meters from your office and with you coughing like crazy how could I miss that?"

"Okay, what do you want, Tommy? You have _interrogated_ my friends and now what?" Kim said, keeping her emotion out of her voice.

"I figured we needed to talk,"

"Yeah, we do. But could it wait? I'm sort of busy right now," Kim said, remembering her unfinished project. Besides, it wouldn't do any good for her to be seen with a new stranger, especially someone as good looking as Tommy.

For a moment it seemed like he wanted to protest, but those lips twiched into a smile and he gave her a nod. "Fine. But we really have to talk. Can you meet me tomorrow afternoon?"

"I have to check my schedule first, but as far as I can remember, I think I'm free after three o'clock," Actually she perfectly knew that she had a day off tomorrow, but for some reasons she didn't want to tell Tommy about it. Not right away, anyway.

"Great," Tommy walked passed through her and grabbed a pen and a piece of paper from Lea's desk. "Hold on a second… here you go," He handed the paper to her and put the pen back on the table.

"What is this place?" Kim studied the address. "Is this where you live?"

"Maybe,"

"I'll be there," She reluctantly nodded, folded the paper and slipped it into her jeans pocket.

"I'll be waiting,"

Kim smiled and was about to walk back to the office when Tommy suddenly tugged her closer and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. Her shock must have been written all over her face because he instantly laughed and playfully nudged her nose. "And that's why I told you we needed to talk. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

She was still in daze when he sauntered off, leaving her alone with confusion swirled through her mind. Sure, as much as she wanted to forget about last week, it still happened. She couldn't avoid the subject like she pretended she didn't see Nate stealing her Snickers.

"Did he just kiss you?" Lea's voice brought her back from her deep thoughts and when Kim turned her head, she saw Lea standing with a cup of coffee and a wide smile across her face. It seemed that she had finished talking, or more likely, flirting, with Nate and had watched Tommy and her for a while. "Oh yeah, that man did. Care to share?"

"Er…no?"

--

Kim leaned over and stared at the Angel Grove General. Tommy had called this morning, asking her to meet him at the doctor's building. He told her he wasn't feeling too well and even half-teasingly accused her for causing him to be in that condition.

She had done lots of thinking on her way to the clinic. Judging from his action around her, he clearly didn't blame her for crawling at him that night. If anything, he was being very… responsive. Her mind went back to the simple peck he gave her yesterday. It sure did send a tingling sensation down her spine. Granted, he was a handsome young man who had a very nice personality and smelled incredible, but things happened far too fast.

Plus, he had a habit to follow her around. Wasn't that a bit cute _and_ scary?

Kimberly gathered her bag and cellphone and climbed out of the car. She hadn't felt any better from yesterday and the urge to know what Tommy's going to say was the one thing that kept her from taking a rain check. She sneezed and wiped her nose with her white hankie.

The clinic was not big and there're only several people in the waiting room. She looked around and found Tommy sitting at the back row. He was concentrating on the newspaper in his hands. Impossibly, she began to feel nervous.

"Hey you," She greeted and plopped down on the chair beside him.

"Oh hey," Tommy returned her smile and folded the paper, putting it back on his lap. "You're early,"

"Have you got inside?" She asked, feeling her heart jump when Tommy moved to face her. For a moment she thought he was going to kiss her, and when he didn't… was that disappointment she was feeling?

"Not yet," He rested his head against the wall and looked at her. "So why don't we talk first,"

"Alright," Kim breathed deeply and clutched the jeans material of her skirt. "Before you say anything, let me apologize to you for… what's the word? Umm…look, I didn't try to seduce you or something like that. You knew that I was heavily drunk that night, so I was being irresponsible," She paused, moving her eyes to anywhere but him. "I certainly didn't plan it to be that way, but you didn't stop me either. I don't know if you're equally drunk or just took advantages out of me, but I...-,"

Tommy placed his fingertip over her lips, effectively stopping her from saying another word. He slid his hand down until they covered her cold hands. "I should've told you this yesterday, but nothing happened that night,"

"What?"

"Yes, you were drunk and you're the first person who initiated the kiss between us," He shook his head when she opened her mouth to defend herself and continued, "And I'll honestly tell you that I was totally sober but I didn't stop you. Well, at least at the end I didn't try to. It's not everyday that I had a beautiful girl on top of me," Tommy chuckled, amused when her blush deepened. "We might have had our clothes off, but trust me, you passed out before anything could happen,"

Kim wanted to believe him, and he did look serious. Tommy must have caught the apprehension on her face because he spoke again, softer this time with mirth lacing his every sentence. "You still had your panties on, right? As well as your bra. I remember it was a matching pale pink Victoria's Sec-, hey!"

She swatted his arm hard. She had felt embarrassed enough without him refreshing her mind about what she had underneath the dress.

"You fell asleep on my shoulder and I was too tired to drive home, so I simply took the right side of the bed and slept,"

"So…nothing happened?" Kim confirmed, feeling the knot in her stomach loosen up. When Tommy shook his head no, she exhaled in relief. Even in her condition, she still remembered waking up with his arms around her. It was a feeling that she hadn't experienced for a long time. There're a sense of security and…loved? It's funny, but it felt like she had known him not just for a few months but a full year. "Great. But what about…," Her mouth clamped shut. He did kiss her, right? It wasn't a normal thing to do, at least not for _them_. "Nevermind,"

"So we're cool, right?" Tommy asked and looked at her with a kicked puppy expression.

"Yeah, we're okay," She assured him with more confident in her voice and nodded slowly.

Tommy smiled and brought his hands to her face. He nearly gave her another heart attack when his face inched closer, clearly wanting to kiss her.

"Wait, wait, wait," Kim pushed his face away and glanced to the other people in the room. Fortunately noone seemed to notice the on going drama. Two ladies sitting closest to them were busy gossiping about their new neighbours; their voice got carried away. She then fixed her eyes back to Tommy. "What are you doing?"

"You said we're cool,"

"Yes, but you can't just kiss me,"

"Why?"

"Well, because…," Kim stammered, words failed her. "Because we're not… because we're just friends?"

"Then let's be more than friends," Tommy stated in a tone that made her wonder whether he was only joking or not. This man had a weird sense of humor. "I'd like to know you better,"

"We don't know each other," She remarked, frustated albeit feeling more than a little happy to know that there're a chance for them. She couldn't even remember the last time she had someone who obviously really cared for her for who she was and that excluded Nathan from the catagory because he was more like a possesive older brother. She had a boyfriend in high school, but it didn't last. Patrick moved to England and he told her a long distance relationship wouldn't work. Later she found out he had been dating another girl behind her back.

"Brandon and Karen got married after only four months of dating," Tommy reasoned. "And we're not going to get married soon and if you don't count those two months between our first meeting and last Thursday, we've known each other for two and a half months,"

"I don't know anything about you and vice versa," Kim insisted, now glaring at his dark eyes. Tommy looked good enough to eat this afternoon and it took all her power not to lunge forward and attack him. "I can't believe we're having this conversation here,"

"Is that your way to tell me you want to have dinner with me?" Tommy tapped his chin while his free hand locked their fingers together. "And I have to disagree with you. I know many things about you, like how you are allergic to shrimps. Eating them can make your face go pink,"

Kim frowned. "How the hell did you know that?"

"The same way I know your birthday is on Valentine's Day, your wish to have at least three male-strippers in your bachelorette party and that you wanted to go to Greece for your honeymoon," He beamed when she scowled. "You said them just before you practically ripped my shirt open,"

Kim simply, utterly, wanted to die.

"And you had a math tutor called Liam in high school," Tommy went on easily, enjoying her expression. "He was the cleverest person in your class. I assume you two were bestfriends because you went camping with him once.

"This?" Tommy lifted their hands and nodded at the bracelet around her wrist. "If you hate this so much, you should just take it off and wear it everytime your father comes to visit,"

"Did I say all those things when I was drunk?" Kim asked desperately.

"I know that you love to watch Prison Break… talking about that, didn't you hear the gossip about the lead actor being gay?" Tommy stated matter-of-factly, recalling an entertainment magazine he read some time ago in David's house.

"I guess I'll ask the nurse why they haven't called you in," Kim said in a hurry and made a move to stand up, but was pulled down. He still had a strong grip on her hand and Kim got the feeling that he wouldn't let her go until he'd done talking.

"And last but not least, you planned to wear your black dress to the wedding. Unfortunately, you had to change your mind at the last minute because you had gained more weights. I'd say that it was a good thing because you look amazing. You must be so skinny back then," His eyes moved over her face appreciatively.

Seriously, how on earth could she tell Tommy that she was getting fatter?? She promised to God, she would never, ever, touch alcohol anymore for the rest of her life. While his kind compliments flattered her, she still wanted to hide in a deepest hole. What else could she possibly say to him? "Tommy, I hate you,"

"In some countries, hate actually means the opposite,"

Her jaw clenched. Why did he always have something to throw back at her?

"Are you alright?" Tommy suddenly changed the topic, catching her off guard. "I mean about Brandon and Karen,"

"I am. I know that I used to like him, a lot, but that's an old story," And now was the time to create a new one, with you… _Kimberly! Stop it!_ "I was overreacting,"

"You looked upset enough to get drunk like that," He said skeptically.

"Yeah, well, you're happy that I was 'getting drunk like that', right? You told me yourself that you hadn't had a beautiful girl on top of you for a very long time," Kim retorted. "I don't know what happened with me,"

"PMS?"

"Shut up, Tommy,"

Graciously accepting his defeat, Tommy gently ran his fingers over a three centimeter scar on her left palm. "Where'd this come from?"

"There's an accident soon after I got out of high school," Kim told him, recalling the painful memories. It had been a tough time for her, especially for the first three months. She was in a complete denial. "It was bad. My friends went into coma for six months because he didn't have the seatbelt on. As for me, I ended up losing my sight,"

"Excuse me?"

"I was blind for two years before I got a donor," Kim said, trying to put it simple. She would never forget that day. "Living in the darkness was not pleasant at all. I loved seeing the world; there're so many things that I hadn't done. To have those promising future taken away from me was torture,"

"You told me something about you being blind when you're drunk, but I didn't think it was literally," Tommy admitted, referring to the moment in the bar. "I'm glad you're okay now,"

"Me too,"

"Ms.Kimberly Hart?"

As her name was being shouted, gone was the melancholy atmosphere hanging over them. Kim lifted her head to see a tall nurse standing in front of the doctor's room, her eyes searching for a 'Ms. Hart'. Kim sent Tommy a dirty look. "I should've known about this. You look fit enough to run in a marathon,"

He shrugged his shoulders. "You're a stubborn girl. Now that you're here, why don't you go inside and let the doctor check you?"

"You tricked me,"

"If this could make you feel any better, I'd back off and let you deal with the administration," Tommy offered with a grin. She tried not to smile, but failed. "Go and give me your answer when you finished,"

Without saying anything, Kim held his stubbly cheek and leaned in to kiss his cheek. Knowing her intention, he turned his face to kiss her instead. It was only a brush of lips that left her breathless afterwards. "If I get your flu, you can bring me here next time,"

"Whatever you say," Kim took her bag and stood up, breaking the hand holding. When she was half-way following the nurse, she turned around and mouthed to Tommy who was still staring at her. "Thank you,"

* * *

**:: Will things go on smoothly for them? You know the answer. Thank you for reading, let me know what you think. No flame please. **

**- Yuuri**


	4. 4

**Chrysalis**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers**

**:: Thanks for reviewing the previous chapter! I hope you like this one. Better write while I can because next week will be a really busy week T.T. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Part four.**

"I still think you have chosen the wrong guy," Nate mumbled behind the driver's seat. He was only wearing an old UCLA t-shirt and shorts; a casual attire that he would never display in public. The blissful Saturday evening was spent by lazing around his living room and watching CSI marathon on cable. Then the phone rang and Kim's frantic voice immediately filled his ears. "And please tell me once again why I'm here?"

"Because I politely asked you to take me to Tommy's place," Kim answered with a sweet smile. "And because I knew you wouldn't turn me down. Especially after you saw the news about a woman getting stabbed nine times in a parking lot. Later the police caught the murderer that was no other than her taxi driver. Of course you don't want to put me in danger more than necessary, am I right?"

Nate yawned, his hand absently scratching his chin. "That happened at midnight, I wouldn't be so scared if I were you. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought your boyfriend was a martial artist? He must have taught you a move or two to defend yourself. And I mean a real karate stuff and not just a basic move to kick your attacker's crotch,"

Kim laughed, she couldn't help it. Tucking her leg underneath her, Kim leaned deeper in her seat and turned on the CD player. To Nate's delight, she didn't mind listening to his favorite Led Zeppelin's songs. "He offered a couple of times, really, but we later got distracted that the kata was soon forgotten," She teased and Nate groaned, hitting the steerwheel once.

"Next time please remind me not to ask that kind of questions," Nate complained in disgust. "I don't need to know about your sex life more than I've already known,"

She raised her eyebrows, intrigued. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I remember coming one morning to your apartment only to have your beloved Tommy opened the door with only a towel wrapped aroung his waist. I genuinely felt bad for him because he looked so embarrassed, but it's only fair because I certainly didn't expect to find a half-naked man in your place. It's supposed to be me,"

"What? You want to have a half-naked man in your house? Sorry, honey, but I don't share,"

"You know what I mean," Nate said as the car slowed down when the traffic light turned red. "I'm still confused. What does he have that I don't?" He had begun to follow Kim's advice and ask Lea out on a date about a week after Kim had officially dated Tommy. Lea was a nice, sweet woman with a sexy accent and a great sense of humor. They had grown comfortable to be around each other but there's still a small part of him that wanted the woman sitting beside him.

Kim put her hand on his arm in a reassuring manner. "You're a great guy and I'm happy to see you and Lea together. Trust me, you're a full package, Nate. And to comment on your remark about Tommy… he was helping me with the broken pipes when it just…blew up. He's soaked from head to toe and was about to take a shower when you came. I was too sick to get up from bed, remember?" When her cold got worse, she had been too weak to do anything and therefore Tommy had insisted to stay the night. Tommy could be excessively over-protective, which was annoying at times, but he wouldn't take no as an answer.

Nate's face cracked into a smile. "You forced me to leave my comfy couch to drive you there. What's wrong with him? He should be the one picking you up. I wouldn't let my girlfriend ask another man who obviously still nurtures a crush at my girl to take her to my place,"

Kim poked his shoulder, causing the car going zigzag for a short moment. "For your information, today is our one month anniversary," She declared with a wide smile; her heart full with hope and gratitude. They hadn't gone all the way, but something significant did happen when he spent the night a couple of times. "I don't think he forgets but I want to surprise him. Maybe going somewhere for dinner,"

"Why don't you try that place at Angel Coast? It's easy to find," Nate suggested as he pulled over. "There's a seafood restaurant over there. The price is good and the food… I won't recommend it if the food isn't superb. You don't have to order anything with shrimps in it," He added quickly when Kim shot him a death glare. "The scallops is a delicacy,"

"We'll see," Kim leaned over and gave Nate a hug before climbing out of the Navigator. "Thank you for being such a great friend,"

"Don't be so formal, it's weird,"

"Well then, jackass, go back to wherever you came from, now!" Kim stuck out her tongue and slammed the door. One hand planted firmly around her hip while the other made a gesture to shoo him away.

Smirking, Nate playfully blew a kiss and smacked it to his own cheek. After watching Nate drive away, Kim headed to the entrance door. Seeing the sign in front of the elevator, she turned to take the stairs. Kim was more than a little out of breath when she finally arrived at Tommy's floor. Why did Tommy must live in the tenth floor? Even for someone as fit as her, it was still somewhat tiring.

A dark haired guy walked passed her stopped abruptly when he saw her. He spun around, prompting Kim to stop as well. Confused, she gave the man standing a few feet away a thorough look. His face wasn't unfamiliar and it didn't take a long time to finally recognize him. "Hi, sorry, you're Jason, right? Tommy's best pal,"

"That's me," Jason Lee Scott grinned. "So I finally meet you. Tommy has told me many things about you,"

"Likewise. Oh, I have seen the location you guys picked for the school. It's perfect," Kim complimented, recalling the two stories building that would soon become the Dragon Fist Academy. "My neighbour loves doing karate. He's eight and I sure will tell him about DFA,"

Jason laughed, showing a set of perfect white teeth. "Don't forget to tell him to bring his friends. We have a special offer for the first 50 people," The black clad guy leaned his hand against the wall and studied her face close. There's something in his eyes that startled Kim, making her grow uncomfortable.

"Is there something wrong?" Kim asked as casually as possible.

"No, I was just… -,"

Kim jumped and let out a muffled yelp when out of the blue a hand tickled her sensitive side. She irritably swirled around and found Tommy smiling down at her mischievously. "You…,"

"Are you trying to hit on her, bro?" Tommy joked, pulling her closer and resting his hand on her shoulders. "Sorry, but she's taken,"

"I noticed that," Jason replied, mockingly offended. He wasn't as tall as Tommy but his body was firmly muscled, showing a great deal of dedication for martial arts. Yet she's still wondering what the 'look' was all about. "I gotta go. It's a pleasure to see you, Kim. Please take a good care of my friend, he has been alone for far too long,"

"Hey, I'm still here you know," Tommy remarked with a shake of his head.

A giggle passed her lips and she wrapped her arms around Tommy's waist, giving him a gentle squeeze. "Sure. Maybe next time we three can have lunch together and you can tell me many interesting stories about him," Kim winked at her boyfriend who only groaned in response.

"Just tell me when," Jason nodded at her and shot Tommy a determined look that invite Kim to lift her head. "Remember what I said, man. Tell her,"

Feeling the weight of Jason's eyes on her, Kim turned her head and found him staring. She was pressed against Tommy close enough to feel his muscles went taut. Realizing her place, she left it then and there.

"Sure. I'll see you tomorrow,"

With another nod and smile, Jason left the couple standing on the beige painted corridor. Once he's gone, Tommy took her hand and led them back to his apartment. Fully furnished with two bedrooms and central heat and air conditioner, it was a nice place. For a guy, Tommy had kept his apartment cozy, tidy and clean.

"What bring you here? Not that I'm complaining,"

"You just got back?" Kim asked, running her fingers through his hair which was slightly damp from shower. "I guess it's a good thing that Nate insisted that he has to finish that last episode. I know that you gave me full permission to come, but it feels better with you here. Make me feel less like an intruder,"

"Nate, the Brad Pitt impersonator?" Tommy laughed, recalling his first glimpse of Kim's workmate at the wedding reception a month ago. "He drove you here? What happened to your car?"

"A friend borrowed the car and she obviously forgot to fill the tank," Her eyes moved to his face, searching for a reaction that she had hoped she would find. In the first seven days they were dating, he had shown the first signal of his short-term memory disease that he suffered. Perhaps he really didn't remember about today. She hadn't seen him all week and felt a bit disappointed of his lack of response. Somehow she got the feeling it had something to do with whatever Jason had told him earlier.

However, when he once again spoke, the warmth had returned to his eyes. "Do I have something on my face?"

Shaking her head, Kim opted to show him how she really felt than tell him; that she really appreciated to have him in her life. Moving closer to him on his couch, she looped her arms behind his neck and leaned up for a kiss. Tommy quickly responded and he didn't hesitant to pull her onto his lap. Within moments, what started as a simple peck swiftly flared to something deeper. A moan escaped her lips when Tommy slowly trailed soft kisses down her neck, nibbling gently. He seemed to be as enthusiastic as she and her heart took a giant leap when he dared to slip his hands under her shirt and stroke the soft skin of her back.

As much as Kim enjoyed the embrace, she gently broke the kiss and gazed into his eyes. "So, hello,"

"Hi,"

"Happy anniversary,"

"I knew I was forgetting something," Tommy admitted remorsefully, throwing his head back in shame. "I thought it was my aunt or uncle's birthday or something. I checked my calender twice and all but couldn't find anything," His lips captured hers before she could utter one word. His hand brushed along her cheek as he passionately tried to meld their mouths together. "I'm sorry, and happy anniversary to you too,"

Kim tried to collect herself while in the same time feeling terribly hot. It took all her will power not to act unlady like. From the flush coloring his face, he must feel the same way too. She was glad that they weren't standing because the kiss they just shared was a kiss that rendered her unable to walk. Every kiss with Tommy seemed to electrify the connection between them. "Forgiven, but now I'm hungry,"

"Me too," Tommy replied, his dark captivating chocolate eyes looking at her intently, telling her he had different thoughts he would love to explore.

"I mean literally," She moved her hand up and down his back, hoping to soothe him a little. "I haven't had lunch and I was thinking maybe we could grab something together. What do you say? Let's celebrate,"

"What do you have in mind?"

"Actually, I wanted to cook us something. That sounds pretty romantic, isn't it? But unfortunately, my cooking skill is limited to microwaving, or instant noodle, frozen pizza and sunny side-up eggs. You certainly don't want to have one of those for dinner, do you?"

"I wouldn't mind that," Tommy playfully kissed the tip of her nose, releasing a long shivering breath.

"Well I would," Kim said with an evil twinkle in her eyes and slipped off his lap. She gripped his arm and pulled him up. "You're a great boyfriend. You don't mind going shopping with me for five hours and give me an incredible backrub afterward. I have to properly take care of you,"

"Oh, you know that there're tons of websites online about how to treat your girlfriend like a princess or how to passionately kiss someone… I just followed the instructions,"

"You do that," Kim giggled, taking a magazine from the table as he went into his room to change.

"Seriously, Kim. There's even an article about 10 steps to make a hickey,"

Shaking her head at his silliness, Kim opened the martial arts magazine and looked through the pages. "Have you ever been in a magazine before? Or maybe on the television… a contestant of a reality TV show? Maybe The Contender, Smack Down or UFC? I still think I've seen you somewhere," She mused out loud.

"Did you really watch those stuff?" asked Tommy as he showed up in the living room slash kitchen; all decked in a dark button down shirt and a pair of jeans. "Actually, I was the first guy to be eliminated in The Bachelorette,"

"Yeah, right, that was so convincing," Kim waggled her finger in front of his face. Closing the magazine, she accepted Tommy's outstretched hand. "Ready to go?"

"Whenever you're ready,"

--

"I'll kill him," Kim muttered around a mouthful of hotdog. She licked a droplet of tomato sauce from her finger. "I'll hang him, strip him off his clothes, beat him good, take a picture and publish it in the next issue of _Fusion!_. I promise you that,"

"Are you going to get your revenge or you just want to show your wild side?"

After fifty five minutes driving and nearly getting lost twice, Kim and Tommy finally arrived to the Palms, a seafood restaurant that Nathan had promoted whole-heartedly. It was closed and apparently it had been out of business since five months ago.

In spite of Tommy's attempt to assure her it was not a big deal, Kim was still furious. "How dare he lied to me like that? He knew today was a special day for me and look at us now. Having hotdogs and cokes under the cloudy night sky. We missed the sunset and there's even no single star up there. So much for a romantic evening,"

"I'm not a big fan of seafood anyway," Tommy said and took a bite of his chilli dog. "So it's cool,"

"It's not,"

Refusing Kim's invitation to go to one of those cute little cafes downtown, Tommy led her to a hotdog stand nearby and on to the beach. Kimberly dipped her toes to the cooling sand. The thought of Tommy and Jason's weird behaviour came back to nag her mind. It wasn't her business and now was not the time to turn into a nosy girlfriend, but the curiousity wouldn't go away. She was half sure that the 'her' Jason said was actually… _her_.

"Tommy, can I ask you something?"

"Sure,"

With all the nerves she had mustered, the brunette asked the first thing that had crossed her mind. "Are you like, married?"

He nearly spat the drink in his mouth when she asked her _big_ question. Turning to give Kim a look that spoke volume, Tommy nodded his head ever so slowly. "Her name is Fiona. I have two children and four cute cats named Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup and Blanket,"

Kim rolled her eyes and threw a handful of sand at him. "You're a jerk and that wasn't funny," She said, the smile on her face betraying her words. "And Michael Jackson would not be flattered to know you named your cat after his baby,"

"Well, your question wasn't funny either," Tommy shot back with a grin. He crumpled the plastic wrapper and tossed it to the nearest trash can.

"Then… are you ill? Maybe you have a deadly disease that you've been hiding from me? Cancer, AIDS...," The question sounded silly, even for her, but she ignored it and asked it still. Her hand flew up to clamp his mouth shut when his face changed and he looked about to burst out laughing once more. "Okay, forget it. I was just trying to make a conversation here,"

"You're still going to LA next week?" Tommy scooted closer, sharing body warmth with the woman beside him. The wind had picked up during the last ten minutes and Kim had left her jacket back in the car.

"Yeah, but the school is going to occupy all your time that you won't have the time to miss me," Kim pushed tendrils of hair out of her eyes, good-naturedly putting her leg on top of his. There's a brainstroming session about the newer version of _Fusion!_ which she had to attend next Tuesday.

"At least you have Nate to accompany you," Tommy said with no hint of jealousy, his finger tracing the small dragonfly tattoo on her inside wrist. "Wanna catch a movie with me tomorrow? But please, don't ask me to see a chick flick completed with a teary happy ending,"

"I'm not your regular girl next door," Kim quipped, moving her head when the wind played with her caramel trasses. "I love to see action movies with lots of explosions, violent assassins and car chase as much as you do. Those kinds of movies usually have many cute guys to ogle. You know, the hero who usually has a hot girl attaches to his side? There, you can have it also,"

Laughing, Tommy tugged her to his side. His lips lingered over her forehead and eyelids and he fused their lips together before parting. It was a slow, sensual kiss that made her toes curl. Next, his expression went serious. "I'm not a perfect guy and I don't know what's going to happen with us tomorrow, next week or even next month. Will you forgive me if someday I do something that's going to hurt you real bad?"

"I don't like the word 'bad' and I don't need to tell you how I feel about the word 'real' that comes before it," Kim said, her hands hugging his arms about her. Her heart was beating so fast that she's afraid he was able to hear it. "Do you really have a wife named Fiona and four cats called Blossom, Bubbles, Buttercup and Blanket?" She joked, trying to calm _herself_.

"You trust me right?"

If she didn't, there wasn't a trace of it in her voice. "I do,"

"And that's what really matters,"

* * *

**:: Thank you for reading. I know that this chapter's probably a bit 'empty', if you know what I mean, but I don't want to rush things. There's probably going to be no update for next week, but I'll try to do my best. Please let me know what you think, no flame though. Thanks.**

**- Yuuri :)**


	5. 5

**Chrysalis**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Power Rangers. **

**:: Thanks for the reviews, guys. Life is being very demanding right now but I managed to steal time here and there to write this. I just hope next week wouldn't be as bad :( **

**:: Second, according to the timeline of the story, there's no way Kim would be able to watch Prison Break. I'm suck with timeline, I told you before. Chrysalis takes place in 2002 and PB aired in 2005. Anyway, I love that show so much so I'll let it be ;) Yay for Wentworth Miller! XD**

* * *

**Part Five.**

"So, now you've finally found yourself a keeper?" Aisha asked with a grin. Aisha Campbell was one of Kim's closest friends. They went to high school together before Kim left to train for the Pan Globals and Aisha soon moved to Africa after graduation. She now was a successful veterinarian and even owned a clinic. On her way to San Diego to join her fiance, Rocky DeSantos, she decided to make a pitstop in Angel Grove to visit her longtime bestfriend. The timing could never be more perfect since Kim was scheduled to leave for LA the day after tomorrow.

Now they both were standing by the counter of _Aloha!_ café, waiting for Aisha's Mai Tai while chatting vigorously, simply reminiscing of the good old days. Many years had passed and although they talked on the phone frequently enough, it wasn't the same. Aisha arrived yesterday and they were off to the beach first thing in the morning, graciously accepting Tommy's offer to drive them there.

"You nearly hit him with your car and now you're basically attached on the hips? It's not something that happens everyday. You could make a best-seller novel out of it,"

"We're not and no, I can't," Kim fired back as Aisha shot her an incredulous look. Aisha wouldn't surrender that fast.

"I know it might be too soon to ask, but how's it going? You love him?"

Kim went quiet for short moments, thinking how often in the past two weeks she had questioned herself the exact same thing. Usually she just brushed it off and decided to come back and think about it later, but now that Aisha had dropped the bomshell straight into her arms… "I don't know," She answered frankly. "I guess now _is_ too soon for me to be asked about that. I mean, I enjoy spending time with Tommy, having him around and sometimes doing cute things for me. It's a blessing, I guess, to be able to not just talk to him about practically anything but also to hug and kiss him. I feel a bit silly because it only takes a simple look from him to make butterflies in my belly flutter,"

Aisha listened to Kimberly as she was practically confessing her feelings. She was happy for Kim, now that she seemed to have found someone and realized how important he was to her.

Kim stared off. "Tommy is a good listener and he never judged me even though what I did was totally wrong in every sense of the word. He has gained my respect and trust," All of a sudden she blinked back and found Aisha looking at her, head propped up on her hands. Kim offered a shy smile and playfully smacked her forehead. "God, look at me. Now I'm being such a sap,"

"And the sex?"

"We haven't," Kim shook her head to clinch her point. Lea had chased her down about doing it with Tommy 24 hours since the official. He was a sexy, gorgeous man and what he could do in bed was expected to be amazing. Kim could only roll her eyes at Lea's blatant comment. "And that's yet another thing that I love from him. He's very patient with me. And not just about the whole sex thing, but everything. More than once or twice I felt like a child in front of him,"

They had spent many nights sharing her bed and did nothing more than cuddled. Okay, so there were a series of a pretty serious making out, but well, sometimes they just couldn't resist the temptation of being so close together. It was nice; the blissful feeling of having someone next to her when she woke up in the morning.

"After a long time of being alone, I suddenly don't feel too lonely. You know what I mean,"

Aisha had her own experiences to understand what her friend was trying to say. "He's not just a friend and a company but much more than that,"

"Exactly,"

Aisha played with the hem of her pale yellow tanktop and turned to face Kim. She seemed to have many questions that could elevate Kim's heart rate. She leaned over and asked, "So did you just tell me that you loved him?"

"You know that I didn't say that," Kim said feebly.

When Aisha spoke again, her voice was soft and her comment hit the jackpot. "You don't know yet or just don't want-, no, too afraid to admit it?"

Kim was saved from having to respond by the sudden ringing coming from Aisha's shorts. She watched her pulling the cellphone out and swearing under her breath when she looked at the displayed name on the screen. "It's Rocky. I forgot that he called this morning when I showered. I'll be right back,"

With Aisha's gone to receive the phone call, Kim got the time to think about Aisha's last question over. As much as she hated to say this, Aisha was probably right. Even she couldn't tell for sure why it happened, it just did. The old scar from the past relationships didn't help much either.

However, Tommy hadn't said anything about it as well. Granted, she was absolutely clueless whether or not he loved her, but she's one hundred percent sure that Tommy cared about her a great deal. She could see it everytime he came over in the mornings to bring her breakfast, or the way he would drive her to work every Wednesday and Thursday, and even when he called at nights just to check on her…all those simple, ordinary things.

Now was too early to talk about the L word.

"Excuse me, Miss," Kim broke from her reverie when a waiter put a colorful drink with a fresh cherry on the top in front of her.

"I didn't-,"

"It's from that man over there," The waiter, Sean—she saw the nametag attached on his Hawaiian t-shirt--, pointed at a blond-haired man sitting on one of the small tables. Once Kim turned her head, he lifted his glass and smiled at her. He was a good looking guy who she probably would take a second glance at if only someone else wasn't in the picture right now. Grinning her bashful smile in return, she was startled when out of the blue a big hand reached for it and drank it up in one big gulp.

"Tommy!"

"What?" He licked his lips and put the glass back on the table. "I was thirsty,"

"Yeah, but you couldn't just-," Kim's lips pursed tightly and she gave him one of her infamous looks. "That was not nice,"

From the appearance, Tommy surely looked great. He had a smile that could brighten up any room and a hot body that deserved to be in a magazine's front cover. Still, nobody's perfect and so was Tommy. He was a little moody and grumpy and that was one of those things that could start the rare disagreement between them. Tommy cooked better than her, but it was no secret that he was very picky with what he ate. Although he loved to skydive and even had convinced her to go with him once, he had a serious phobia of darkness.

He could be extremely possessive if he wanted to and last, Tommy snored.

"I told you that bikini was too revealing," He sat down and regarded her with a serious look. In return, he got a glare from the brunette standing next to him.

"Okay, who do you think you are?" Aisha and she had been spending most of the last two hours swimming and simply having fun while Tommy chose to sit under the big red umbrella beach they'd brought, reading. "I'm leaving soon but instead of spending the day with me, you decided to hang out with," Kim snatched the book that he hadn't forgot to bring to the café and narrowed her eyes. "With Mr. Fox. What, are you trying to be an actor now? I know that you loved to watch Spin City, I did too. My mom had them taped and watching Back to The Future inspired me to build a time machine when I was a kid," She really, _really_ wanted to be mad at him, but how could she when he put on that trademark puppy dog eyes?

Tommy pulled her to him and assaulted her ribs, making her squirm and squeal in his tight grasp. The petite former gymnast was ticklish and he knew all her weak spots. "Very funny, Beautiful,"

"Oh, so now I'm your beautiful?" Kim said nonchalantly, hoping her face didn't turn pink at the sweet endearment.

"_My_ beautiful," He affirmed and snaked a strong arm around her waist. With their positions now, they were literally in the same eye level, and it didn't take him long to pull her into a deep kiss. "That guy over there should know that too,"

Kim laughed as he brushed her hair aside to land a soft kiss on her shoulder, loving the smooth, satiny skin under his touch. "Now you're just showing off,"

"It's hard not to when you have a sexy girlfriend in her equally sexy bathing suit," Tommy teased, as always knowing how to make her crack.

"That was low," Kim chided him but smiled nonetheless.

"Where's Aisha?" Tommy looked around, half smirking when he saw the man who had tried to hit on Kim leave his table quietly. "I don't see her anywhere,"

"Rocky called," was her short reply. Then she turned fully towards him and braced her hands on his shoulders. His black baggy swimming trunks weren't wet at the slightest. "I just want to thank you for coming. You didn't have to, you know. Looks like I'm bored you,"

"Never,"

"That's sweet, but really though, I appreciate it," Kim hugged him for a few seconds before pulling back. "It's nice to have Aisha around. It feels like the old times and I'm six years younger. She's like a sister, even Lea isn't as close to me as Aisha,"

"You have to meet Trini one of these days," Tommy began, his warm hands moving up and down her arms. "She's Jason's girlfriend and I'm sure you two will make great friends. Maybe one day we can have a double date," His bro and the pretty Vietnamese had dated briefly in high school, but sadly it didn't last. It was not until two years ago and an unexpected reunion that they decided to become friends once again and it soon blossomed to something more.

"Sure, maybe after I returned from LA we can arrange something," She nodded and slipped her hands into the front pockets of her denim shorts. When her eyes met his, she could see nervousness reflected from those orbs. Frowning at his shift of mood, Kim asked, "What's wrong?"

"I need to tell you something,"

Kim suddenly found herself hard to breathe as their previous banter about his cats which were named after the Powerpuff Girls and Michael Jackson's child returned. Oh, and also a wife, Fiona. The music in the café was pretty loud, but it seemed to fade as she felt her knees going weak. Needing some supports, Kim grabbed a chair and sat down, not wanting to collapse or faint after he finished delivering the news. She gave him a tiny nod to encourage him to start.

"I have two things to tell you, actually," Tommy said and raised his hand to order a drink before fixing his eyes back on her. "I'm completely fine if you want to be mad at me and punch my lights off, but well…,"

"What is it?" Kim prompted impatiently, her fingers tangling together in order to keep her from shaking his shoulders.

"I kissed a woman," He admitted matter-of-factly, guilt and discomfiture on his face. "She's…,"

Not a wife, but another woman. Kim closed her eyes in disappointment, supressing the anger and dismay growing inside her. When she opened them again seconds later, she met his anxious eyes again. "Well, at least it's a woman and not a man," She said sullenly.

"It's not what you think," Tommy hastened to assure her as his face fell. "She's the lawyer for DFA. Her name was June,"

_Great,_ Kim mused. _A name. Now I just have to buy a ski mask and shoot _June_ at the head._ Nothing came out of her mouth because there's a big lump stuck in her throat. Tommy kept locking their eyes together, never looking away even once.

"Jason had made a joke about her eyeing me since I opened the door of her office, but I always brushed it off. To make the long story short, we're having a dinner. There're five of us including Jason, June and I. Leon, June's partner, suggested to play Truth or Dare. I guess I was getting a bit drunk and before I realized what I was doing, I let her kiss me and it didn't end before Jason finally smacking me hard on the head," He rubbed his face with his hands, frustated.

Kim still hadn't found her voice. The story was pretty simple actually, but her brain was still having difficulties in digesting all of it.

"Look, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to. It's… I didn't realize that, that it happened," Tommy grabbed hold of her shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes. Kim suddenly felt small and fragile under those dark enchanting eyes. "I can't do anything to change it, it still happened. I could have not told you about it, but I couldn't do that to you. It didn't mean anything to me so there's nothing for me to hide. You have to trust me," He gave her a good shake, eyes never wavering from hers. "You do, don't you?"

His face took a hopeful and fearful expression. Fear… it was one thing that she never saw in Tommy, aside from his claustrophobia, that was. The tightness of his hands around her hands was hard to miss and doubled that with the intensity in his eyes… "I understand. I was just, shocked, I guess," Kim stammered as another bad memory flashed in her mind and she shrank back in her place. "It's just-,"

"Kim?"

Kim grinned ruefully and ducked her head down. "For a while, it reminded me of my parents. You've already known about the divorce. It wasn't pretty. Dad, he's… he thought mom was too busy with her job and abandoned the family. It was after that he started seeing another woman. When you told me about June… it felt like a strange wave of déjà vu all over again. Then, there's Patrick. I told you about him and I was just, maybe I wasn't good enough for him, and for _you_, that you-,"

"Stop it!" Tommy cut her off and tilted her chin up. "Kim, you're good enough. Too good actually, I don't know how you managed to put up with me all this time," Then his voice changed lighter and a small smile even showed up on his face. "Patrick's a fool for letting you slip out of his life. But well, I've got to thank him because if he hadn't, perhaps you would have left America since a long time ago. Then what about me?"

Kim chuckled. That's another thing that she 'hated' from Tommy: his sense of humor.

"I'm sorry, Kim, I really do," Tommy wiped her eyes and gently cradled her face until he could capture her lips with his. The couple was aware that they were in public, but it didn't slow them down. Kim held him tightly as if trying to reassure herself that he was still there with her, and she was pleased to feel his arms holding her just as closely. "Thank you for being so understanding,"

"I don't know if you realized this or not, but that was actually what happened with us," Kim retorted good-naturedly after the lack of oxygen began to become an issue. "_I_ was drunk when I started kissing and nearly molesting you, remember?"

"We're different," Tommy persisted and his face softened. "I can't believe that you forgave me that easily. I mean, although I didn't do that intentionally, I still feel bad about it," At Kim's raised eyebrows, he went on. "I was expecting you to yell at me and even throw me your heels,"

"I told you that I trusted you, right?" Kim replied and intwined their fingers together, giving his a firm squeeze. "And I'm going to hold on to my words. Besides," Her faint smile grew mischevious and she looked down at the white and pink flip-flops that matched her bikini. "I don't have my heels right now,"

"That's a relief,"

"Anyway, you said you had another thing you wanted to tell me?" Kim asked softly, feeling the anxiety returning. She could handle Tommy kissing another woman, partly because he wasn't really himself when it happened, but what about the other news? Maybe this time was even worse and she _would_ end up yelling at him and throwing him her flip-flops.

"Oh, that," To her surprise, Tommy looked self-conscious all of a sudden and his eyes avoided her for a while, his free hand rubbing the back of his neck. "It's not something as outragous as the first one, but I'm not sure how you're going to react,"

"Why don't you see yourself my reaction by telling me, like, right now?"

"You've seen my parents, I showed you pictures of them, remember?" Tommy began with a light tone, his eyes still wandering about the café to avoid direct eye contact with Kim. "Well, when I went home some time ago, mom, as always tried to pester me about my personal life or more importantly about whom I was dating at the moment. Before I could even answer and tell her about us, she went on about her friend's daughter who would, I quote, look darling to be with me. Mom even showed me her picture, not nearly as beautiful as you," Tommy was quick to add and received a small smile from her. "I was annoyed with all the… set up and I told her I was engaged already,"

The color drained from Kim's face when the last two words escaped Tommy's mouth. She gulped. "W-what?"

"I told her we're engaged," Tommy continued, not sure what else to say except the truth. "And then Mom demanded to see you,"

Kim went numb, still awed. Not more than twenty minutes ago she was debating with herself if she loved Tommy or not, and now… they're engaged. Well, sort of. "About that other girl, does she have a name?"

Tommy looked surprised but answered. "Emma,"

The brunette felt as if a weight being lifted off her shoulders and the urge to jump up and down like a kid on Christmas day nearly overwhelmed her. The big secret was finally out in the open and perhaps now she could sleep without nightmares chasing her the entire time.

"Kimberly?"

"Your mom's not going to be ecstatic when she knows you're lying to her,"

What Tommy said next definitely caught her off guard and she was thankful that she wasn't standing. Tommy sipped his drink slowly and moved the glass to her lips, letting her taste the chocolate strawberry smoothie. The cold, sweet liquid seemed to burn her throat. "I'm not. I'm just… postponing it. I didn't tell her when we're going to get married, did I?"

Was he joking or suggesting something? Did he try to pull a Brandon and Karen?

Not that she was complaining. _Oh God…_

"Hey, Sha," Tommy looked passed Kim's shoulder and waved.

"Hey there," Aisha bounced back and sat on the chair next to Kim's. She had watched the emotional drama and Aisha wanted all the details. "Rocky has a toothache, but he'll live,"

--

Kim woke up to the buzzing sound of Tommy's mobile phone. Burying her face deeper to the pillow, she felt Tommy nuzzling her neck before scooting away and taking the call.

As he talked groggily with Jason, Kim's eyelids fluttered open and the memories of last night came to crash on her. They did it.

After dropping Aisha off, they headed to Tommy's apartment. Complaining that he was famished, Kim kindly guided him to sit down and picked up the phone to call in Chinese take out. She was in the mood for some Kung pau chicken. They talked some more and traded more apologizes while waiting. She couldn't convince him enough to ease the worry away.

The food arrived and thirty minutes later, stomach full and all, Kim went to his room to change. She's still wearing her swimming suit underneath the form-fitting white shirt and shorts. When she threw her top on the floor, Tommy came into the room, his chocolate eyes conveying messages that she had known all too well by now.

Before she knew what hit him, her bikini top was untied and his faded blue jeans puddled around his ankles. It didn't need to be told that it wasn't long before they stumbled to the bed and from there things went really out of hand.

"Hey, Baby,"

Tommy's whisper was followed by a tender peck on her forehead. When Kim opened her eyes, she saw him kneeling on her side of the bed. An amount of lights filtered the room through the closed drapes.

"Morning,"

"Sleep well?"

"Yep,"

"Jason called, something came up at the dojo," Tommy explained and run his fingers over her arm. "He needs me to be there,"

"Now?" Kim squinted her eyes and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. "It's still very early,"

"I'll bring back breakfast,"

"Alright," Kim nodded her head, snuggling deeper under the thick covers. "I want pancakes with maple syrup, please,"

"Sure," Tommy allowed himself to be drawn closer and welcomed the soft good morning kiss she pressed on his lips. Kim felt so giddy and so in love right now than she had ever been before. Maybe she could finally say _the_ word to him. "Go back to sleep,"

"Alright,"

He gave her another sweet kiss before padding out to the bathroom. Kim grabbed Tommy's pillow and buried her face in it, smelling Tommy's cologne. Hugging it to her chest, she rolled over and closed her eyes.

Kimberly continued to sleep until two hours later and when she woke up for the second time, Tommy hadn't returned. Yawning, Kim winced slightly. Last night's activities had made some parts of her body sore. It had been too long since she slept with someone.

After a quick shower, Kim slipped on Tommy's red shirt that covered her to mid-tighs. Aisha's flight was at 3 in the afternoon and she had promised to see her off. It's only half past eight so the chance was big that Aisha hadn't even woken up yet.

Before she left the walk-in closet, Tommy's safety box placed at the bottom of the closet caught her eyes. The guy had left it half-opened, clearly unlocked and not safe anymore. Shaking her head at his recklessness, Kim was about to push it close when another thing begged for her attention. Chewing her lips and pushing her hair behind her ears, Kim pushed the metal open and smirked when she found a stack of _her_ pictures inside.

"Boy, you have it bad, Oliver," Kim said to herself, highly amused. She took the liberty to take the photos and looked through them. The first picture of her smiling widely at the camera cracked her up. There're probably more than twenty pictures and when she went through the fifteenth, a frown marred her feature. It was a picture of her standing with Aisha near the bus stop. The fact that confused her was that it wasn't a recent picture. In fact, it was taken a year ago when Aisha came home for New Year.

With trembling hands Kim moved on to the next picture. Again, it was an old one. And the next, and so on and on until the last picture.

_Where did Tommy get this stuff?_

Kim reached her hands into the box and found two pictures of _another_ woman. She was beautiful with dimples and long, wavy dark hair. Her efforts to remain composed ended when at one picture, Tommy was hugging the woman to his side. Warily turning the photo around, she read Tommy's neat handwriting.

**Tommy and Fiona. September'96. **

Fiona…

She knew she shouldn't, but her hands moved on their own accords. Pulling out neatly filed papers, Kim's feet almost didn't hold when she saw the bold printed letters on the cover. It was the name of the hospital she had stayed at two years ago.

Her eyes swept through the materials as her heart sank deeper into the pit of her stomach. _Kimberly Hart…recipient_…_ corneal transplant… 1998… Fiona Harrison… _

Kim dropped the binder to the floor and sagged against the wall. Now everything began to make sense. _Everything_. The look Jason gave her and Tommy's possessive nature over her…

It was because she had his former girlfriend's eyes.

Fiona was the donor. _Her_ donor.

Tommy didn't even try to come up with another name.

Her heart broke at the knowledge and the tears just refused to stop flowing. Tommy had known about it since the beginning and he lied to her. He betrayed her trust and trampled on it mercilessly. Those coincidences… _stupid_ coincidences. There's no coincidence here, everything was a part of his plan.

--

"Kim, I'm back," Tommy bolted the door behind him and put the paper bag on the kitchen counter. The television was off and the apartment was quiet. Assuming that Kim was still asleep, he tip toed to the bedroom. "Beautiful?"

Then he saw it. The pictures, the document, _everything_ that Kim should never have seen without him, laid scattered on the floor.

"Shit,"

* * *

**:: Okay, this is the longest chapter by far. Now that the big secret was finally revealed, there're probably two more chapters coming. I hope you enjoy this one. I don't know when the next part will be out so please, be patient with me :) Please review! No flame though. Thanks. **

**- Yuuri**


	6. 6

**Chrysalis**

**Disclaimer:**** Power Rangers is mine… kidding. **

**:: Now that I ****have two weeks**** off, I guess it won't be long till I finish this one. I know that I should be doing all my assignments, but let's try to put them aside first :D Thanks for everyone who has reviewed, they mean a lot to me. **

* * *

**Part six.**

"I'm really sorry, Kim," Lea moved her hand up and down Kim's back in soothing circles. As soon as the petite brunette showed up in her door, both Lea and Nate who by chance was spending the night, fast changed into the big brother and sister mode. The redhead handed Kim another tissue paper.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry for myself too," Kim choked and took a few seconds to blow her nose. She had left Tommy's apartment as soon as her legs started working. It's kind of difficult to think, let alone to walk, when all she knew was that the man that she had trusted and come to love, was no more than a jerk, a hypocrite and a big loser.

"Well, he won't find you here," Lea said reassuringly. She's still in her deep red robe and her hair was up in a messy bun. "Tommy doesn't know where I live and since Nate isn't home… you'll be fine here,"

She sure hoped so. "But I need to get back later. I haven't packed yet and my flight is early in the morning tomorrow. I would trust Nate with my life, but not my clothes," Kim let out a weak laugh.

Lea smiled. She knew about her boyfriend's initial crush towards her friend and had felt threatened because of it. Kim had convinced her nothing happened between them and she trusted her. Besides, she could feel Nate start to really like her. He used to talk about Kim a lot, something that she honestly hated, but that was history now. Right now Nate was more like a brother who was taking care of his sister. All Nathan problems aside, Kimberly was a great friend and she didn't hold a grudge againts her. "You want to talk about it? Maybe it could make you feel better,"

Kim shook her head. She had told Nate and Lea a short summary of what had happened but refused to go into details. Nate was definitely far from pleased when she finished her story and Tommy'd better be watch out for him. She had asked him not to meddle in, she would be the one who… who what? What she's going to do? She couldn't see Tommy again, that wasn't even an option. Why this had to happen now, when things were going so great with them?

Still, it's better now than later, or worse, maybe he planned not to tell her until they're happily married with children and grandkids.

"I can't believe Tommy's a psycho bastard," Lea began fuming with aggravation. "I guess my mom was right when she said a pretty face was nothing. Isn't it a bit terrifying? I mean, he… he basically was stalking you just because you had his… friend's eyes,"

Kim smirked. Try to tell her something that she didn't know.

The one-sided conversation was cut off when the door opened with a loud bang and walked in a very furious Nate. He threw the car key to the coffee table before joining the two women in the living room. "I stopped by at your apartment, just to make sure he didn't do anything funny, and guess what I found? Him. Yeah, apparently he has been waiting there for you when he found you missing,"

"And?" Lea asked, knowing the look on Nate's face.

"I hit him," Nate shrugged and perched on the arm of the sofa. "I hope I broke his nose, but well, since you told me dear boy was a martial artist, he gave me a pretty good bump too," He delicately touched the back of his head without a trace of embarrassment. "He left but not before asking me to tell you that you both needed to talk. I told him to go to hell,"

Kim winced at the mention of the sort of fight took place at her building. She didn't know whether she was sorry for Tommy who actually got what he deserved, or for Nate who got hurt for standing up for her.

The hurt in her heart still lingered when she walked into the elevator. It was like a plague. The morning and afternoon were spent mostly by crying in Lea's guest room and thought about what she had seen over and over again.

Her American-African friend had left California two hours ago. There're so many things swirled in her mind that she nearly forgot about Aisha. Thankfully, Lea asked a question about her at lunch and she was quick to contact Aisha. Aisha would have to postpone her desire to kick Tommy's butt to Pluto unless she wanted to miss her flight.

It hurt, knowing that the only reason Tommy really cared was not because of **herself**. She was still undecided if Tommy was crazy as Lea had said he was or very romantic for clinging to his true love that he never wanted to let her go even though that person had gone.

How could he do that to her? Did he ever look at her as Kimberly and not some replacement? Would he act the same if she never had the car accident and still had her own eyes? She just wanted to find someone to love _and_ love her back, and now…

Feeling a lot calmer than she had been this morning, Kim unlocked the door. It's a good thing that Tommy had forgot to bring the key to her apartment last night or she would most likely find him inside waiting for her. Nate had offered to accompany her, just in case Tommy decided to camp out in the corridor, but she turned down the offer.

She didn't know if it was disappoinment or relief thumping inside her when she didn't see Tommy there.

For obvious reasons, her mobile phone was turned off so she wasn't all that surprised when she found there were 6 messages waiting for her and four of them were from Tommy.

Her brain commanded her to delete all the messages, refusing to hear more craps and lies from him, but her heart spoke otherwise. Unfortunately for her, Kim always followed her heart instead of her brain, so when she plopped down on the couch, the record began.

**Message one.**_ Kim, where are you? _

**Message two.** Okay_, I know what you must be thinking, but it's not like that. Come on, Beautiful… if you're there, please pick up the phone. We really need to talk, Kim. I can explain. _

Her eyes watered at the new nickname he coined less than a week ago. As sappy as this was going to sound, she got to admit that she had never felt more beautiful and loved than when Tommy called her with it. As she sank deeper into the comfortable sofa, hot tears blurred her vision even more. They had spent many nights cuddling and watching DVDs in this very place with Tommy whispering sweet nothing into her ears. Was it too much to ask for a normal relationship?

**Message three.** _Kimberly? PLEASE, Kim. I can explain to you. This isn't like what you think_.

**Message four.** _Girlfriend, are you okay? I'm in the waiting room right now. The plane is delayed for half an hour. Gosh, that guy is sick! I'll call you later and don't do anything stupid! Love you._

As Aisha's voice faded, Kim got up and strode to her room. She was there to pack, not to listen to Tommy apologizing. The distance from the living room and her room wasn't far so she could still hear the messages as she took out her bag and started to pack.

**Message five. **_I'm on my way. I'll be there in ten. _

**Message six. **_Kim? Please, if you're in there, open the door. I need to explain to you. I… please, just open the door, Beautiful. _

Tommy sounded as if he was about to cry himself and it tripled the ache in her heart. Explain… what should she listen to him? Did he really think that she was _looking forward_ to hear him confessing that the real reason he was being very nice to her was because of Fiona's eyes? Were they the only thing he loved from her?

A lone tear escaped her eyelids and she wiped it fast. He wasn't worth it.

Kim jumped when all of sudden the phone rang. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and she feared it would burst. Cluthing a small pile of underwear tightly in her hands, the only thing she could do was stare at the phone from the bedroom.

_Hello there, this is Kimberly Hart and I'm not home at the moment. Just leave me your message and your number, I'll get back at you as soon as I can. Cheers!_

**Bip!**

'_Kimberly? Are you there? Well, I went to your apartment but I met your friend. Guess he must have told you. I understand if you don't want to talk to me, just let me talk, alright? Okay, now where do I start…I guess I'd pretty messed up things, huh? I… Fiona and I dated for a little over three years. Everything seemed to be so perfect for us that I even considered asking her to marry me. But then it happened. The accident and she didn't survive. I was crushed, she… she meant a lot to me.' _When Tommy's voice wavered, Kim sat on the edge of her bed and fought off her own tears. _'Anyway, almost two years ago I found out that her family had donated her eyes. Of course, that information was strictly confidential, but I knew a guy who knew someone so it only took a little hard work._

'_At first I just wanted to see you, not stalking or something like that. I won't lie to you, I loved Fiona and I felt the need to make sure that you're… okay. But then the unexpected happened; your car nearly hit me. I was looking for you actually, meaning to talk to you… but when I finally met you, the words just refused to come out. Instead, I thought it was a great opportunity to see for myself that you were…safe, I guess. I'm not a big believer in faith, but then we met again in the wedding reception. _

'_I admit that initially I used to think that you were her. You have parts of her in you and I had to assure myself that you're happy. It took me a while to realize that you and Fiona were two complete different people and trust me, you two were different that it wasn't that hard to notice._

_However, for the first time since she's gone, I managed to let someone in. You've melted the iceberg in me, Kim, and made me feel things that I didn't think would ever happen to me again. I started to see you as your own person. Everything got even harder by the minute because I knew I would hurt you in the end. What we had was wonderful and I was being selfish because I didn't want to drive you away. You deserved to know the truth and I wasn't being fair to you. _

_You might not believe me, but trust me, I love you, _Kimberly Hart.

By the time Tommy had finished, tears were streaking down her face. She tightened her jaw and opened the door, dragging her luggage with her.

--

**The Austen Café**

"His grades were going down the hill and although his father is a professor, he got straight Cs in his mathmatics class. Alright, his father wasn't around much to talk to him or ask him to sit down and teach Sean logarithm," Kate paused, her hands stopping in the air as she shot Kim a funny look. "Were you even listening to me?"

Nodding, Kim grabbed her orange juice and took a sip. The morning session was pretty interesting and three and a half hours flew by fast. She even got the chance to elaborate her opinion regarding _Fusion!_ newest feature. She was so engrossed that surprisingly, the thoughts about the jerk back in California didn't come to mind, not even one time. Unfortunately, once the meeting was over and all, her colleague just had to read the same martial arts magazine which she had seen in Tommy's apartment right under her nose.

And now as Kate was pouring her heart out, she was simply staring blankly to the ugly painting on the wall and trying to pay attention to what Kate said. Kim was not really in the mood for being such a good listener since _she_ also wanted to scream to the world that she had been cheated, violated, deceived, by the one and only Tommy Oliver. It's pretty ironic to know that she was competing with someone who had been dead for several years. It's the old, plain Kimberly against the memories of Fiona. Memories, for God's sake! The pain would hurt less had Tommy left with a gorgeous blonde with a B cup… she thought.

"I was, am," Kim answered, looking at the frowning creative director sitting in front of her. "You're worried about your son. And then what happened?"

"I was thinking of a life coach," Kate went on, the forty six year old woman massaging the bridge of her nose in distress. "Sean definitely could use some help, but then… yeah, there're always a 'but' coming, don't you think so?"

Kim kept quiet for a few seconds. Just like she had finally realized that she loved Tommy **_but_** things were far too screwed up now? "Yeah, there's always a 'but',"

Looking terribly satisfied yet annoyed, Kate said, "But then I remembered some old episodes of that TV series, Nip/Tuck. Do you know that it turned out that the life coach whoever's mother hired, I forget his name, was a transsexual? And the son was actually falling for her and they nearly eloped to Paris. I can't let that happen to Sean!"

Releasing a deep breath of air, Kim smoothed down the wrinkles in her skirt and when she finally lifted her head, her eyes delivered one of her infamous looks. "Kate honey, have somebody ever told you that sometimes television was such a bad influence? Come on, you're being silly. Things like that won't happen, at least not in real life…-," Kim halted her tongue as the thoughts of _her_ unusual experience came back. "well, not in your family anyway,"

When Kate took the strawberry from her cake and bit the tip, Kim's face paled.

"_You love strawberries?" Tommy asked, his fingers combing through her caramel tresses. _

_"Strawberry shortcake is my favorite and I always eat the strawberry first," _

"_That's interesting. Most people would keep it until the last minute," _

_She rested her head on the crook of his neck, inhaling deeply. "Not me. I like it so I have to have it first," _

"_I know someone who's just like you," _

Tommy's mood seemed to change after that and while she couldn't figure out why back then, now everything was as clear as the day. It seemed that Fiona and she shared the same opinion.

She was really confused right now. Everything that Tommy had said to her, everything that had happened to them… were they for real? Tommy often told her that she looked beautiful in violet, was he being honest or perhaps Fiona used to love the color too? Did Fiona used to write a journal just like Tommy had suggested her to do? She wasn't sure what to believe anymore.

But he did say that he loved her. He loved _her_, Kimberly Ann Hart.

"Are you okay?" Kate queried and popped the fruit into her mouth. Next, her smile grew mischevious. "Missing your boyfriend already? It's only been one day, Kim. Or the private goodbye party last night wasn't enough?"

A small smirk marred Kim's face. She had updated Kate via emails about her life in Angel Grove and Tommy was also mentioned in some of them. Hell, she even sent Kate pictures of them together. "That was so insensitive of you. Don't you know that we're no longer together?" The truth was so bitter she almost could taste it in her mouth.

"What?"

"We broke up. I sort of dumped him," Kim said with a shrug of her slender shoulders. "Can we not talk about it? I don't want to deal with it while I'm here, not until I get back. He's only destroying my concentration and we both don't want that to happen,"

Still stunned, Kate reached out and grasped Kim's hand tight. "When did this happen? I still have the email you sent me five days ago, telling me about his grandmother's cat named Button,"

"Um…," Kim checked her watch and as painful as it was, smiled. "33 hours ago?" The scar was still fresh. His confession only made it worse, just like a salt over an open wound

"But… what's going on? It was so… out of the blue,"

"An old girlfriend came back," Kim answered tightly, the feeling of being _used_ returning in full force. She struggled to keep her her emotion in checked. "Turned out I was just the rebound girl. That's pretty much sums everything up,"

Kate leaned back and shook her head in disbelief, moving her pearl earings in the process. "Damn, he was such an asshole," Looking at the tell-tale sign of unshed tears in Kim's eyes, her expression softened and asked almost motherly. "Are you okay? I really thought you were ready to settle down with this guy. He sounded pretty awesome,"

"What could have happened in five months? Then again, you're wrong. I settled, not settled down and it's over now, so let's not talk about it," Kim bit the inside of her cheek hard. She thought it would be much easier for her to accept the reality if she acted like nothing had happened. Boy could she be more wrong.

Kate snapped her fingers and took a blue folder from her bag. With a secretive smile, she pushed it towards Kim and waited until the brunette got a look of it. She watched as Kim's eyes widened considerably. "So, are you interested?"

"Is this for real?" Kim gulped and her hands clucthed at the file tighter.

"We need people like you and we'll be happily taking you in. If you accept, that is. You always said you loved LA,"

"I…," Kim stuttered, not knowing what to say. So much happened in a short time that she felt her head was ready to explode. "I'll have to think about it first,"

"I understand, just don't take too long, k?"

When a door closed, another window opened… Was that what was happening here? "Sure,"

* * *

**:: One down, one more to go. The next chapter will be the last and I hope I can start writing it soon. Thanks for reading, please let me know what you think. No flame though. **

**- Yuuri **


	7. 7

**Chrysalis**

**Disclaimer:** **For the last time, Power Rangers isn't mine.**

**:: It honestly surprised me when I saw the last time I updated this fic was more than two months ago. I guess time flies when you have so many things keeping you in your toes. Anyway, I didn't get my vacation till last Wednesday and while I know I should be writing, I got addicted with a Japanese Drama, **_**Gokusen**_**, which imo is a really great entertainment. Maybe some of you have read the manga or watch the anime, but this is a live action drama and it's awesome. Alright, OT, I'm sorry. **

**This is the last chapter and I hope it satisfies all of you. Thanks a lot for everyone who has been reading and extra thank you for those who have kindly left your reviews. You just don't know how much your opinions mean to me.**

**Enough babbling. Sorry for the long AN. Now on to the story!**

* * *

**Final Chapter.**

_For the third time, Tommy re-read the email that he just received a couple hours prior. It had been almost two weeks since Kimberly found out about the secret that he had tried to keep from her and also almost two weeks since she went missing. At least from his life. _

_He had gone to her apartment a few times and even nearly come close to camp outside until she returned, but later thought it wouldn't have been the smartest idea since the door boy downstairs had given him a look when he came for the seventh time that week. The cell phone was working, but he got the feeling that Kim purposely did not want to accept his calls. Wonder why… _

_Everything was driving him crazy to the point that he almost put up an ad in the paper, using big bold letter that said 'Kimberly, please forgive me'. For some people, like Lea, she might think it was a brilliant idea and that it was such a romantic way. However, knowing Kim the way he did, it most likely would only scare her off and that was the last thing that he wanted to happen right now. _

_Fortunately, someone from Kim's office had kindly informed him that Kim hadn't returned from LA and that there was a big possibility that Kim would move from California, now that she had been offered a better position. Calling it a bombshell would have been an understatement. Given the situation, he was terribly pleased when he checked his email and found a message from the petite brunette waiting from him. _

_It was a short, simple, straight-forward email. __**Hi Tommy, how are you… I'm moving to LA next week… what we had was wonderful but it's a shame it had to turn out like this…**_

_Of course, it's not that he could blame her for not trusting him and not wanting to see him ever again. But if what they had was indeed special, why couldn't she at least fight for them? Talk to him? Listen to his explanation? _

_He hated that he had lost her trust, her friendship and her love. She might haven't told him the L word directly, but she was talking in her sleep and had surprised him when she mumbled it at 3.30 in the morning. Not wanting to embarrass the hell out of her, he simply kept it to himself._

_**I need time… If we're meant to be… Bye, Tommy… 'till the day we meet again. **_

_There's no address, no information about her new place and definitely there's no 'talk to you later'. She needed space…. And if that's what she wanted, he would give it to her. He just wanted to her to know that he might not always be around, but he certainly would always be there. _

_Turning off the computer, Tommy moved his chair backwards and opened the drawer, looking for an old photo album. His mouth curved into a bittersweet smile when he flipped through the pages, looking at the smiling faces of Fiona and him. Everything had been perfect and he had been ready to ask her hand in marriage. She was his first love and it was difficult to forget her. For the first couple of years, all he did was compare every woman he tried to date with the missing figure of his former girlfriend. And then he met Kim. _

_When he finally got his hand on the confidential record, all he wanted to do was just to see the person that carried something left from Fiona. Of course, the initial plan got ruined when Kimberly accidentally hit him and not to mention the unexpected meeting at the hotel reception months later. _

_Maybe knowing that she had Fiona's eyes, he felt responsible to take care of her, to make sure that she's alright. To know that she's happy. It was a feeling that he couldn't explain. Maybe he was sick because he was practically 'stalking' Kimberly, but he really could care less. Especially when he finally realized that he had fallen for Kim… let's not talk about that now. _

_Setting the photo album down, Tommy leaned back and covered his eyes with his arm. _

A loud honk brought Tommy back from his daydream. Nineteen months had passed but he still couldn't get her out of his head. Shoving his hands deep into his pocket, he waited for the light to change. Tommy shifted his weight to his other foot when the light finally turned green and he started walking with the rest of the New Yorkers and tourists. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't really pay attention to where he was heading and bumped to a redhead.

"Geez, watch it, will you," She protested and leaned down to pick up her fallen stuff.

Mentally kicking himself, Tommy turned around and made a move to help the lady. She brushed a strand of hair from her face and looked up at him. The pair of doe brown eyes that still haunted his dream reflected the surprise in his darker brown orbs. It took a perfect ten seconds for him to finally find his voice.

"Kimberly," His voice was above a whisper and with all the buzzing noise around, he nearly didn't hear his voice.

It seemed that she hadn't found her voice yet and her mouth hung open with no words coming out. Time seemed to stand still as the two gazed at each other's eyes and it only ended when a sudden honk snapped both of them back to reality.

Startled, Tommy glanced at the semi pissed driver and realized that they're the only people standing in the middle of the busy road. The light had long turned red. Without paying much thought and more out of a habit, Tommy grabbed Kim's hand and pulled her along with him.

When they're back at the safety of the pavement, Kim extricated her hand from his grasp and he was reminded of what had happened; that he had no rights to do what he just did. As much as it pained _both_ of them, now that the time had finally come he wouldn't let this chance slip out of his hands.

"So… you're here," Kim began, her hands swinging at her sides; a gesture that he fondly recalled from their times together. He smirked. Had it really been that long? "Tommy?" She asked when he kept silent.

Tommy blinked and his lips formed a lopsided grin. It would take him a while to get used to Kim's new hair color, but it lifted his spirit to see those eyes and smile once again. "Yeah. I'm here with Jason. There's a martial arts exhibition starting from yesterday,"

A passerby pushed Kim and Tommy realized that it wasn't exactly the best place for him to say what he wanted to say. "Why don't we go somewhere else? We need to talk, Kim," Judging from the sober expression marred Kim's beautiful face, he knew that Kim knew that inevitable fact as well.

It looked like Kim was going to say something but then nodded with a defeated look. "Sure. There's a park nearby,"

Originally Tommy would have recommended a place like a small coffee shop that he knew Kim enjoyed, but somehow he got the feeling that Kim would need all the space that she could get. Besides, it would be much easier for her to run away if she felt like it. He shivered. Not if he could help it!

"Sure,"

"So… how have you been?" Kim asked after they settled at one of the benches.

He wanted to be blunt and get straight to the point, but decided she didn't need to be given more pressure. "Just the usual, you know. The school's been doing great and we're thinking of opening a new branch,"

"That's great!" Kim replied with a smile though he noticed the light didn't really reach her eyes. They appeared dull and lifeless. Tommy nearly laughed at the situation. He just said 'her' eyes and not Fiona's. "It's a great news, Tommy, I'm glad to hear that,"

"Thanks. What's up with you? The last time I checked you're still in LA," Tommy asked with a grin and when he caught Kim's sudden tensed expression, he quickly amended, "I mean… you know, you sent me an email, saying that you'd get transferred," If it was one and a half year ago, he would gladly crack a joke about him having done a background check on her, but now wasn't exactly the right time and place to do that.

"Just about the same," Kim shrugged. "I'm here on vacation actually. I get a four day off and Aisha invited me to see her and Rocky. And before you asked, they got married last year and I'm going to be an aunt early next year,"

"You always loved kids,"

Kim smiled but not saying anything. Gathering his guts, Tommy turned to face her. Enough dancing, at this rate they wouldn't go anywhere and the tension was enough to drive him closer to madness. They were acting like old acquaintances and not individuals who had ever played big parts in each other's life. "I'm sorry. I know that nothing that I say can change the fact that I lied to you, but-,"

However, before he could apologize further, Kim raised her hand, halting his tongue. Sighing, she looked down to stare at her sandaled feet. Anything but the man sitting beside him. "Please, Tommy, stop. I… I know you're sorry; you've said that to me countless times. But that happened in the past and I'm over it," Then, with a husky whisper, she added, "I'm over you,"

Swallowing hard, Tommy moved his eyes to stare at her. She just didn't have any idea how much she had ripped him with those words. Here he was, ready to profess his feelings to her once again, only to hear that he had long been forgotten. "I understand. But I want you to know that I didn't have the slightest intention to hurt you,"

Kim's bitter smile didn't go unnoticed and Tommy's hands flew from their previous position on his sides to her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "We used to trust each other, Kim, and I hate that it was taken from us, because of what had happened,"

"Yes, I trusted you," She snapped. "And did you see what happened after that?"

Tommy looked at her deeply, almost desperately. "I knew that I should've told you sooner, than for you to find out by yourself about Fiona," He winced inwardly when she frowned at the name. "Of course, at first I didn't think I would fall for you," Before she could make a protest, he hushed her with a finger against her lips. "Nobody intentionally wants to fall because it hurts, Kim and I surely didn't ask to finally 'fall' for you either. And yes, it did hurt, but I never regretted it, not even one time. Because it reinforced just how much you mean to me,"

She wanted to glance away but the hand underneath her chin wouldn't allow it. She replied despondently, "You know what, sometimes I asked myself whether we're going to be together if I never had that accident. Will everything be the same for us? If I didn't have Fiona's eyes, would you treat me just the same? Sometimes I even hoped that we'd never met at the first place," Her voice grew smaller and tears began to well. "And of course, there're times I wondered if you often compared me to her,"

Shaking his head at her silliness, he answered in a tight voice. "Comparing you two wouldn't be fair because Fiona and you are different, Kim, and I regret that it took me a while to stop being stupid and realize that fact. I don't want you to feel like you are just a replacement; that because I care for you because you have her eyes,"

Fiona and Kim were different in so many ways. Their basic appearance was the opposite and while Fiona was like a calm river, Kim reminded him of a firecracker. "Being in a relationship with you, I started to feel things that I hadn't felt before, not even when I had been with Fiona. You could make me laugh, angry, antsy, and god help me, cry. I had never felt more alive than I had been when I was with you," He wiped her tears streaked cheek with his thumbs. "And it has nothing to do with Fiona,"

Tommy released her face and created some distance, enough to make her feel comfortable. Her eyes and face were red from crying and she bit her lips. "Can I make a confession?" Receiving no rejection, he continued, his eyes gazing at the buildings and skyscrapers. "After Fiona's gone, I've tried to move on, but it never worked out in the end. In a way, I felt like I would be cheating on her,"

Kim surprised him by putting a comforting hand on his arm, the way she used to do it when everything was alright with the world. "If she loved you as much you did, which I'm sure she did, she must want you to be happy, Tommy. You just don't know how much I envy her. Seeing what you did… she was so lucky to have you in her life. And if you loved me half as you loved her, I guess I was a very lucky girl as well," Her eyes glistened when she spoke and his heart fluttered.

Stunned, Tommy was graced for the first time since almost two years by Kim's luminous smile and he felt happiness growing inside him when he once again found the light in her eyes started to come back.

"I found an old issue of a martial arts magazine when I visited my dad," Kim said suddenly. "And I figured that was the first time I 'saw' you. Why you never told me you've been in a magazine? That's why I felt a strange wave of déjà vu when we met. Believe it or not, I thought it was these eyes-," Her mouth clamped shut as her face pinked. She immediately busied herself by pulling her hair up to a ponytail. But the words were said and Tommy couldn't help the snicker that he had tried to hide.

"Don't tell me that you thought it was because of Fiona's eyes that you felt like you've seen me before," He said half teasingly with a genuine smile. "Life is not a fairytale, Kim," If it was, all he needed to do was sweep her in his arms and kiss her and they all would live happily ever after in a castle with white horses and kids.

"I know that I shouldn't have told you that," Kim retorted with a pout, her hand moving to push her hair behind her ear.

"So… now what?" Maybe she had forgiven him, but where did that leave them? Were they friends once again? But now that Kim had moved to LA, things wouldn't be quiet the same with them.

Kim turned her head and it pleased him to see the matching longing in her eyes. "I don't know, Tommy… I… I guess I need time to sort everything out. So much has happened and we can't go back to what we were, as much as I want to. It's not that I don't believe you, but I just need more time,"

He nodded, understood. "We can start over again and see where that takes us,"

The moment was broken when suddenly Kim's cell phone ringing. Glancing up briefly at Tommy, she took her phone and read the text message. "It's Aisha. I need to go now,"

His throat constricted. "Alright. We can do the weekly phone calls and emails,"

"Yeah… you haven't changed your numbers, haven't you?"

Tommy was delighted to know that she hadn't banished him entirely from her life. "No, I haven't. How about you?"

Kim rummaged through her purse and picked her new business card before handing the rose colored card to Tommy. "Here you go,"

He appeared hesitant for a short moment before he finally blurted out, "I missed you, Kim," And it was the truth. She was the last thing in his mind before he went to bed and what he wouldn't give to have her by his side every time he woke up every morning.

Laughing with tears in her eyes, Kim moved to his instantly opened arms. It felt as natural as breathing to hold her in his embrace, having her head resting against his chest and her slender arms wounding around his waist. He buried his face into her hair, inhaling her familiar jasmine scent. "I missed you too,"

After long moments, he reluctantly released her, knowing she had somewhere else to be. "Don't be a stranger, alright?"

"You too," Then Kim surprised him by asking him a question that he once had asked her in what seemed like a million years ago. "Tommy, are you happy?"

"Very," He said, giving her hand a fervent squeeze. Now that he had found her again, he had nothing more to ask. "Are you?"

Kim didn't answer but the gentle smile forming in her face said it all. Tip toeing to get a better reach, she pressed a light kiss against his cheek. "Take care, Tommy,"

"You too, Beautiful," He replied thickly, fighting the urge to pull her to him and kiss her senseless.

Time seemed to go in slow motion as he watched her walk away from him. He wanted to tell her that he loved her, that he wanted them to be together again… but she was right. They had been apart for a while and rushing things off would lead them nowhere, if not driving Kim even further from him.

_If you two are meant to be together, no matter what happens, you'll find your way to each other. _He didn't want it to end like this…

"Kim, wait up!"

**-the end-**

* * *

**:: I know that it's not the ending that you've been waiting for, but lots have happened between them and they can't just jump back to a relationship. But you know me, it's not possible for me to break them apart… **

**And I'm sorry if this chapter isn't too good. Writing scenes like this chapter isn't my specialty, I guess you know what mine is if you've been reading my stories. But well, one has to start somewhere… Anyway, I hope you like this. I might add one more chapter, but I'm still unsure. **

**I'll finish **_**TSTM&TS**_** soon and then continue **_**NBE**_**. Unfortunately, I have to say that the updates would come slowly. But don't worry, I intend to finish them. **

**Thanks for reading and don't forget to review for the last time. No flame please. **

**Happy holiday, everyone!**

**-Yuuri ;)**


	8. 8

**Chrysalis**

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Power Rangers.**

**Thanks for the reviews ::grins:: I dedicate this chapter for Jenna. Love you, girl!**

* * *

**Epiloque**

Tommy eyed his watch and his eyes flew back to the gate. Kim should have showed up fifteen minutes ago and there's no sign of her whatsoever. He had arrived forty five minutes earlier than her arrival schedule, both because he was so excited that he'd finally see her again, and because his watch was ten minutes too fast. Why that didn't surprise him?

His last meeting with Kim in New York happened a month ago, but for him it felt like forever. Of course, as they had promised, they started over, slowly trying to walk across the bridge between them that had been created from his lapse in judgment a couple of years ago. To be honest, it wasn't as easy as he had hoped. Although Kim had started to feel comfortable to be around him again and be able to laugh and tell each other stories about their days, somehow he could sense that she was still a bit skeptical. It was as if she was afraid that whatever coming out of his mouth was all bullshit and lies. Not that he blamed her, because he knew it would take a little more time to regain her trust completely once again.

On the other hand, he could handle the long-distance thing better than he'd expected. True to their words, they traded emails and phone calls every weekend or so. He missed her, but he had had another chance given to him and he wasn't about to blow it away. One step at a time… Of course, if things worked accordingly, they both would finally move one step ahead. Being friends with Kimberly was wonderful yet a complete torture because he didn't want to be _just_ her friend. If only she would give him a chance…

Next to him, two kids were arguing about who was daddy's most beloved child while their mother was too engrossed in a gossip magazine to pay any attention. When one of the children swung his hand to hit his brother and Tommy was ready to step in, a pair of hands covered his eyes from behind. Grinning, he wondered what his next move would be.

"Nice try, Kim," Tommy said, his hands coming up to capture the soft, small hands. He couldn't even explain how it felt to be able to touch her again. Although what he wanted was scoop her in his arms and kiss her passionately, he had to save those for another time. "Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for you?"

"You're no fun," Kim retorted and released her hands from his face.

Turning around, Tommy was soon greeted by Kim's bright smile. She looked stunning as always and he immediately engulfed her in a tight hug which she replied just as enthusiastically. Smelling her shampoo and holding her in his arms, Tommy finally realized that Kim didn't wear more than a skimpy white top and jeans. Feeling some parts of his body start to react, Tommy sighed and loosened his hold on her. "Hey,"

"Hey," Kim laughed and poked his chest. "That's all you could say after not seeing me for a month?"

Joining her laugh, Tommy playfully nudged her nose and asked, "How was the flight? I heard it was raining it LA,"

"Well, the plane was full and I was sandwiched between these guys who looked like a pro-wrestler and not to mention had a bad breath. The food was horrible and I'm glad that it's over now,"

"Sounds like fun," Tommy nodded his head, pretending to be serious and instantly receiving a glare from his former girlfriend. "Seriously though, that means you haven't eaten. Something happened in the school and there's no time for me to eat. How about we grab something on our way back?"

"Great mind things alike," Kim agreed and much to Tommy's astonishment, slipped her arm around his. "Come on, we need to get my things first,"

"Sure,"

--

"So, you've finally got a week off?" Tommy questioned after they settled in the table in the corner. Kim always loved Japanese food and he had to say he was glad to find someone who didn't think they were in the Fear Factor just because they were eating in a restaurant that served raw fish.

"Yep, but I bring some paperwork and my laptop with me so I guess it'll be okay," Kim answered and sipped her hot tea. She tried to eat her sushi with the chopsticks but kept missing it. Groaning and glaring at Tommy, she gave up and finally took it with her hand. "This thing never cooperates with me,"

"That's alright, it's not easy for me too,"

"So, you were saying?"

"Nothing, I'm just glad that you decided to come back, if only for a vacation," He added quickly, not wanting to push her. "I've missed you,"

"I've missed you too," Kim said with a smile and for a moment, the world was just about them once again. Lowering her eyes to the plate in front of her, she continued, "How's your parents? Still trying to hook you up with that girl… what's her name once again?"

"Emma," Tommy answered with a sheepish grin. "You still remember about that?"

"Well, I mean, I took off before I got the chance to meet your parents, and then there's this white lie about you… being engaged…," Kim paused, unsure if she wanted to continue or not. Her eyes lifted to meet his and Tommy could feel her concern. "I mean-,"

"It's alright," He assured her. "I heard she meet an accountant or something like that. Do you know that Brandon and Karen are expecting their first child? It's due in three months or so,"

"Really?" Kim's face noticeably perked up. "I didn't know that. That's awesome,"

Tommy watched her smiling face and a sad smile flashed across his feature. Kim picked up on this and put her glass down. "What is it?"

He shook his head and leaned over, propping his body on his arms. The awkwardness that hadn't been there when they spoke by phones or emails seemed to be hanging around their heads now. They were acting almost too formal for an old friend. He wondered if that happened because _both_ of them were nervous about the other thing that they'd have to do after lunch. "You know, I really appreciate that you want to visit Fiona,"

Kim's mouth formed a small 'o'; she didn't expect Tommy would bring that up. Swallowing hard, Kim managed to flash him a wan smile. "Fiona gave me my future, my life, back," Her hand reached out to catch his and she grasped it tight. "She gave me the chance to meet you. I owe her a lot, Tommy. I really should've done this a long time ago, but the time has never been right,"

At her words, Tommy clutched her hand just as tightly, nearly crushing her fingers. No words were said.

"Why don't you tell me about her," Kim suggested, gently pulling her hand from Tommy's and picked up her chopsticks. "You never talked about her before. If you think that's going to hurt me, you're wrong. She was a big part of your life and I'd like to know more about her. If that's okay with you, that is,"

Tommy was startled by her request. She was right; Fiona had always been a tender subject for them. It was still painful to think about her, but he didn't want to hurt Kim more. "Are you sure about that?"

"Positive,"

--

Tommy watched Kim walk closer to Fiona's grave. He hadn't come here for a while now, and somewhat he felt a bit guilty. Now that he had come again, he was with Kim. He kept his distance from Kim, respecting her need to have some space.

"Hi, Fiona," Kimberly started, her voice unsteady. It was quiet for a few seconds and she let out a chuckle. "Gosh, this feels weird. I… I'm Kimberly. I'm the one who received your eyes all those years ago. I can't even start to say how much I thank you for giving me a second chance in my life. I just want to say thank you, for everything," Her small shoulders were shaking and after wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she went on, "Thanks for giving me the chance to meet Tommy. I know how much you loved him, and I know that I can't be you. I don't want to replace you in his life, but I promise I'll take care of him,"

"Kim?" Tommy called out softly and approached her, putting a hand on her shoulder. She sniffled and turned around, her face swollen and puffy, but she was smiling. "You okay?"

She nodded. There's so many thing that she wanted to say, but the words just refused to come out. It wasn't fair that Fiona lost her life, _everything_, while it seemed like she gained 'everything' back after the operation. "Should I give you a minute?" Tommy asked quietly.

"That would be great, thanks," Kim nodded and after a parting glance, walking to Tommy's car.

After Kim left, Tommy knelt in front of his former love's tombstone and put down the flower he had brought. It was her favorite. He still remembered surprising her for their first Valentine's Day together by buying her two dozens of daisies. "Hey. So, here I am. I'm sorry that I haven't come for a while, but life's catching up with me. You won't believe this, but Jason and I are going to open our new school next year. He's doing great with Trini and I know that you would have loved seeing them together. You always said they were meant for each other.

"I miss you," He choked out, tears misting his eyes. "Life was never the same since you left. It felt so empty and there's a void in my heart that no one could fill… at least until recently," Tommy raised his head and his gaze moved fondly over the short brunette leaning against his car, talking with an older woman that Tommy recognized as the reverend's sister. "The wound has started to heal and things have started to look up now. When you're gone, my life was a mess. I guess… I have found a reason to continue living,"

--

"Why are you bringing me here?" Kim turned to face Tommy when she realized where they were. Tommy had driven them to the beach where he had taken her days before she left for LA. "You do remember that the seafood restaurant's out of business, right?" She reminded him, just in case. "Nate was only joking,"

"Why would I bring you to eat seafood when I know that you're allergic to shrimp?" Tommy shot back and walked around his jeep to get her door. Kim gave him a curious look but not asking any further. Instead, she let him lead her towards a small path to the beach.

For long moments all they did was walk along the shore, hands clasping together. After couldn't stand the silence for another minute, Tommy dropped to sit on the sand and pat the empty spot next to him, gesturing Kim to do the same. "That went well,"

"It did,"

"Today is one hell of a first day for you, huh," Tommy said with a small laugh. "You must be tired…," It's now or never. It's about his sanity and he needed to let it out of his chest. Determined, he put a hand on her knee. "Kim, there's something that I want to say,"

Her head turned to him and those soulful chocolate brown eyes looked at him questioningly. The evening wind tousled her caramel tresses and it was all he could do not to reach out his hand and push her hair behind her ear. "I'm waiting," Kim joked though she appeared to be as nervous as he was, her fingers clutching the hem of her top.

He opened his mouth, but was quickly cut off by Kim. "No, don't say that, please. I know what you're going to say and I… I can't," She stood up and distanced herself from him, her arms hugging her body close.

Tommy quickly moved to stand behind her, feeling an invisible hand slap him hard. "Why the hell can't, Kim? I thought you have forgiven me,"

"I have," Kim hastened to say. "It's just… it's not that I don't love you and don't want to be with you, but every time I remember about Fiona, I will have these thoughts swirling around my head and I…,"

Tommy caught her by the shoulders, stopping her from voicing her bewilderment thoughts. He shook his head. He thought he had made it clear that he had gotten over Fiona's death fully.

"Sometimes I feel like an evil person because I would think how I was so lucky to be able to have everything, to have _you_. And none of it would have happened if she's not…," Her teeth sinking into her lips so hard he thought it would draw blood. "If she's still alive. Can't you see that I'm such a hypocrite? It's not fair, for her. I don't deserve her eyes or… you,"

The tears streaking down her cheeks were too much for Tommy and with a yank, she was back in his arms. She felt vulnerable in his arms and each sob coming from her made him bleed anew. "I understand how you feel, Kim, trust me, I do, because that's how I felt every time I wanted to move on. After her death, it was a tough time for me. I would try to go on a date with a woman, but nothing ever happened because it felt like I was cheating behind her. It felt wrong to feel happy while she's… dead,"

Lifting her head, Kim was shocked to see Tommy was on the brink of crying himself. "If she loved you, then she would have wanted you to be happy," She muttered with confidence.

"And that's the point that I'm trying to make here, Kim," Tommy insisted, shaking her shoulders to force her to look at him. The bitterness in his voice was evident but Kim found a stronger look in his eyes when he spoke once more. "You're just an ordinary person, Kim, not God. Having those thoughts doesn't make you a bad person,"

"I understand what you're trying to say, but-,"

"We can't let ourselves get too immerse in the past, Kim," Tommy said softly, his hands moving up to cup her face. "Fiona's gone and we have to keep moving forward," It was a rough journey but he had finally succeeded to deal with it. But it was obvious that Kimberly was still pretty shaken up. "I love Fiona and she will always be a part of me, but she's gone, Kim. It took me almost five years to accept that fact, but she's gone. Trust me, I don't want to hurt you more than I want to hurt her,"

He let her bury her face into his chest, feeling her tears dampen his shirt, and continued holding her until the emotional wave subsided and the trembling stopped. "I need you, Kim,"

Hearing his declaration she felt a new hope blossom inside her. Her head rose up to look at him. Smiling, he wiped her face with the pad of his thumbs. "I need you," Tommy repeated. "And one day, I'll ask you to marry me. But for now, I know that there are lots of things that we need to work on still. There's plenty of time ahead of us, and there're will be time for us to be finally together. I just can't think of another person beside you to do that,"

Kim smiled for the first time since they arrived to the beach, her eyes twinkling with hidden amusement and mirth. "Give me one reason why I should agree,"

"What? Aside from I'm a very good looking, dependable, smart, humorous man?"

"Yes,"

Tommy pulled her in and leaned down, whispered just before his lips touched hers. "Because I love you,"

--

"So life has finally back to the way it's supposed to be," Jason said as he watched Tommy work out. The last student went home fifteen minutes ago and he thought it would be a good opportunity to talk with Tommy. Jason grinned. "I guess congratulation is in order then? When's the wedding?" He just had to say that to piss his friend off. "But seriously, man, it's great to see you like this, and not become some sappy guy who just got dumped by his girlfriend,"

"Don't tempt me, Jase," Tommy said, swirling and kicking the punching bag.

"It's a good thing," Jason said, crossing his legs and emptying his water bottle. "And I think Fiona would have liked Kimberly,"

Suddenly the door opened and Tommy turned around to see Kimberly fly straight into his arms, uncaring if he didn't have a shirt on or that he was covered with sweat. Looking past her shoulder; he spotted Jason whistle and Tommy didn't know what to make of his smile. Of course, all incoherent thoughts left his mind when Kim grabbed his head and pressed her lips to his, kissing him deeply. Feeling surprise albeit happy at her enthusiastic greeting, Tommy quickly found himself returning her kisses and drawing her closer into his arms.

The kiss only broke when Jason coughed, trying to mask his laugh. Tommy sent him a look and noticed Kim's cheeks turn red. "Don't mind me. I'm just a fly on the wall,"

"What was that all about?" Tommy asked Kim.

"Are you really going to open a new school in LA? For real?" Kim asked, barely able to contain her excitement. She nearly went crazy at the thought of having a long distance relationship, but then Jason called and…

"How did you know that?" Tommy frowned.

"Just answer the question, damnit,"

"Well, it's a thought, but if things go on smoothly, I guess we'll have another school next year,"

"You never told me it's going to be in LA," Kim said with a pout, hitting his chest playfully.

"Er… surprise? Actually I didn't mean to tell you until you leave tomorrow, but apparently, someone must have let the cat out of the bag," Tommy said sardonically, directing the remark towards his partner who went 'who-me?' innocently, and focused his gaze back to the woman in his arms. "Besides, it seems like a great place for a Lakers fan like me,"

Kim smiled happily and hugged him tighter. "We really will make this work, won't me?"

"I'd like nothing better than that,"

**THE END**

* * *

**:: Alright, just in case you haven't noticed, 'the end' for this chapter was typed in caps, meaning this is really **_**the**_** end. I hope it's better than the last one and that I don't leave everyone hanging. The last two chapters were more Tommy oriented because I realized we didn't see much of those in the early chapters. Anyway, thanks for reading and please review, no flame though. **

**Now I'm going back to watch Supernatural because Dean Winchester is really hot :D Yay for Jensen Ackles! Toodles.**

**- Yuuri :)**


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